Wait, I missed this bit... what happened?
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The Formula 1 2015 Season |OT| Formula E Feeder Series
- Thread starter Ark
- Start date
Jon Noble has a suspicion that Australia might not be the season opener in 2016 and that they are making way for another race.
JadedWriter
Member
Will Buxton currently doing an AMA:
http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/349bql/hi_there_will_buxton_nbcsn_f1_pitlane_reporter_f1/
http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/349bql/hi_there_will_buxton_nbcsn_f1_pitlane_reporter_f1/
Psychotext
Member
Friend of mine got instructed by Richard Attwood at Silverstone yesterday. How cool is that? 
nature boy
Member
I think it's a stupid gimmick, showbiz tyres so there's more "action". Cars are too easy to drive and I can't remember in the Schumi dominance years any engineer telling the driver to conserve tyres. It's a joke. It's not Pirelli's fault, but they shouldn't take part in it. Add the you-have-to-run-both-compounds and saving-tyres-for-race BS and it's even worse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIcFTIlj70c
Mark Webber said at the time he was pretty lucky with the angle of impact: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/motorsport/30271784
gingerlord
Member
Not least in part because Ferrari paid Bridgestone huge amounts of money for specific tyres just for them. I remember on the BBC Eddie Jordan said they managed to get a scrubbed set of Ferrari tyres and their car went 2s a lap quicker....
nature boy
Member
At least they lasted and didn't grain like these Pirelli's do...
Anyway Jean Todt got what he wanted:
Todt takes on United Nations road safety job
So lower even more any expectations regarding FIA governance on F1.
Anyway Jean Todt got what he wanted:
Todt takes on United Nations road safety job
So lower even more any expectations regarding FIA governance on F1.
Yup. On the latter point, I think if you can run on a single set of tyres for an entire race, it should speak to the quality of the design of the car (and the person driving it) and be rewarded.
Ah yeah, I remember that. But how did it affect Alonso getting a WEC drive?
ConstructMe
Banned
Clearly they were worried about the risk of something simular happening to him.
That´s, uhm, not a very good idea.
We are not running those weakass V8s anymore. The current PUs are torque monsters, and with the given aero rules teams have problems to get all the power onto the track anyways. And the solution would be to make the tyres even harder? So they have even less grip? No thanks. That´d slow F1 so much down, they wouldn´t be the fastest cars anymore.
I don't mean make them harder, I just mean keep them the same but relax the rules on requiring the usage of specific compounds (and even more than one set). Give teams the option to design a car that was super gentle on tyres that could last a whole race, if they so choose.
"Mirror, Signal, Maneuver" now required on leaving the pits
Man, that's just not feasible.
The reduced number of compounds is a simple cost cutting measure. Walk back on any of that, and F1 could easily be without a supplier.
And your car design proposal would mean two things: a) aero monster cars simply impossible to overtake, and b) another dev cost nightmare, as wind tunnel time would got through the roof.
Hm. I think I'm still not getting my point across, but that's okay
You know what a really easy and cheap solution would be to put more emphasis on the driver? Ban the car-team radio, altogether.
I think the issue with tires is directly related to overtaking being too hard. Every race we hear about n stops being ideal and that teams are targeting n-1 stops and are on purpose choosing the slower strategy to avoid overtaking.
Fix that first before making big changes to the tires and tire rules.
Fix that first before making big changes to the tires and tire rules.
F1's biggest problem is they never chose.
They had two choices during the early 00's:
1. Continue on the same path and have each team and engine developer develop the best possible chassis and engine within the minimal rules (weight, dimensions, etc.) and just have a free-for-all where constant development and one-upmanship changed the pecking order from race to race. Sure, racing wasn't always done on the track, but it sure as hell made for a more entertaining overall season imo.
2. Introduce Homologation to a level where every car is pretty much on the same level and individual engineers and drivers could really make a big difference. Added bonus is that cars would be on even stomping ground and you'd see more overtakes and close driving as you see in other race classes where they only use one chassis.
Since one half of the people that are in F1 wanted 2 and the others (mostly the engine and car devs) wanted 1, they are now in a weird middle ground where development is halted, cars and engines are gimped, status quo is maintained throughout a season and weird rules had to be introduced to make sure at least some overtakes happen.
I'm fine with either choice, really, but they just need to pick one. Either have a competitive F1 where the focus is on the highest level of technical advancement or have a homologated F1 where the focus is on drivers and engineers to get the most out of the provided equipment.
Either would be fun to watch.
They had two choices during the early 00's:
1. Continue on the same path and have each team and engine developer develop the best possible chassis and engine within the minimal rules (weight, dimensions, etc.) and just have a free-for-all where constant development and one-upmanship changed the pecking order from race to race. Sure, racing wasn't always done on the track, but it sure as hell made for a more entertaining overall season imo.
2. Introduce Homologation to a level where every car is pretty much on the same level and individual engineers and drivers could really make a big difference. Added bonus is that cars would be on even stomping ground and you'd see more overtakes and close driving as you see in other race classes where they only use one chassis.
Since one half of the people that are in F1 wanted 2 and the others (mostly the engine and car devs) wanted 1, they are now in a weird middle ground where development is halted, cars and engines are gimped, status quo is maintained throughout a season and weird rules had to be introduced to make sure at least some overtakes happen.
I'm fine with either choice, really, but they just need to pick one. Either have a competitive F1 where the focus is on the highest level of technical advancement or have a homologated F1 where the focus is on drivers and engineers to get the most out of the provided equipment.
Either would be fun to watch.
nature boy
Member
Exactly, give engineers/team more technical freedom and don't drag everything down with stupid rules.
The problem is Bernie looks at F1 as "entertainment" more than a sport of high technical innovation. WEC seems to be the exact opposite.
Mclaren blocked the deal.
BTW, 6h of Spa this weekend with Nico Hulkenberg in a Porsche.
Choosing option one would've killed the sport. They needed to introduce restrictions simply to save the teams from themselves because of costs.
We all want teams to be free to innovate more, but I don't blame the FIA for being so strict with the rules these days.
Goldrusher
Member
1 = F1
2 = GP2
Right?
Wax Free Vanilla
Member
Exclusive Ron Dennis Q&A: Honda innovation should concern rivals
http://www.formula1.com/content/fom...--honda-innovation-should-concern-rivals.html
http://www.formula1.com/content/fom...--honda-innovation-should-concern-rivals.html
Big Takeover
Member
"McLaren-Honda will see the fruits of all that effort. Mark my words! Well win together and, when we do so well do so dominantly."
Barf. Talk is cheap, Rono. The only thing that concerns rivals is speed, and you either got or you don't.
JadedWriter
Member
I'm reading this and it's great not seeing him throwing Honda under the bus, hitting the gas pedal, running them over, throwing the bus into reverse and repeating the process over several times. Dennis is really professional in this interview and I tip my hat to the guy.Exclusive Ron Dennis Q&A: Honda innovation should concern rivals
http://www.formula1.com/content/fom...--honda-innovation-should-concern-rivals.html
king picollo
Member
Honda are giving them money aren't they?
Throwing them under the bus would be suicide.
Throwing them under the bus would be suicide.
JadedWriter
Member
Doesn't stop RBR from doing it and they're the Renault works team, unless I'm misunderstanding that partnership.
I didn't read the whole piece yet but I have to be honest, if I was working for McL right now I would be inspired by Ron's motivation.
I also love the cheeky transition to the second question:
RIP Senna, 21 years ago today. I wasn't an F1 fan then but it must have been a tough weekend. RIP Ratzenberger as well.
I also love the cheeky transition to the second question:
RIP Senna, 21 years ago today. I wasn't an F1 fan then but it must have been a tough weekend. RIP Ratzenberger as well.
It was the first time i cried while watching a TV.
JadedWriter
Member
His death gave him near unrivaled godhood, but at the same time I would love to hear his opinions about the state of racing today along with how he views some drivers.
Fox Mulder
Member
it's their honeymoon.
What if the Honda engines are shit next year or even worse, will they still be so positive. Red Bull went from dominating one year to only winning three time the next, and their engines are even worse this year and likely going to have grid penalties by Canada.
Business
Member
I remember wathing that qualify as a kid. I was alone and I will forever remember the image of Ratzenberger's head falling to one side of the cockpit as the accident was ending. I was standing in front of the TV when the doctors were trying to resucitate him and I could hear my own heart pumping, it was definitely the most shocking thing I had seen in my life.
JadedWriter
Member
He would probably tell Maldonado that his balls are too big to fit into the gaps that he's trying to squeeze them into.
Key difference being that RBR always shitted on the Renault engines even when they were successful and dominating everything. I fully understand your point though. Even with the best engine on the grid last year McLaren didn't amount to much and sort of thought Mercedes were sabotaging them. Granted I don't even think there was a lot of information sharing between the two parties.
Wax Free Vanilla
Member
Red and White livery is dead:
McLaren Honda will run a revised livery from next weekends Spanish GP, sources close to the team have indicated.
Its understood that the new version could be described as shades of grey, with no chrome or silver.
McLaren Honda will run a revised livery from next weekends Spanish GP, sources close to the team have indicated.
Its understood that the new version could be described as shades of grey, with no chrome or silver.
http://adamcooperf1.com/2015/05/02/mclaren-to-debut-new-livery-in-spain/
https://twitter.com/PeterDWindsor/status/594506264660574209
Watch it be greyish with a touch of disappointment.
Does McLaren have a marketing department? I understand the whole 'grey is our brand colour' crap, but come the fuck on. Seeing the McLaren's on-screen is genuinely depressing for me. Not because they're slow, but because there's no life to their car at all, I'm just not interested in them as a team any more.
That said, obviously I want McLaren winning races again.
That said, obviously I want McLaren winning races again.
Goldrusher
Member
Some sort of matte stealth gray could be cool.
Diablo Rosso
Member
Fox Mulder
Member
Movistar blue?
Adam Scott Aukerman
Member
Probably replacement for Monza... or Silverstone
I'm scared of her driving an F1 car.