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The Formula 1 2015 Season |OT| Formula E Feeder Series

M

marvelharvey

Member
sam777 said:
Time of day isn't going to have a change on the weather.
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IIRC Malaysian rain seems to arrive late afternoon each day, so an hour earlier should reduce the chance of rain.
Spades said:
If anything, coming out and categorically stating that Wolff is not in line to replace Bottas if needed has harmed the team image. To me, it's a clear sign that Williams see her as nothing more than good PR. Why else would you not even consider promoting her to a race seat when she's done the most miles in the car compared to anyone outside the race drivers?
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While experienced, I don't recall her being that fast of a driver. I'd love to see her give it a go though.
 
C

ConstructMe

Banned
finally unbanned...

went both days, had a great day, got right up front on track for the podium after running from t9/10, dull race but great atmosphere.

Star of the day was definitely Nasr, he held his own great against ric and kimi behind. Ham also came back out after the podium and climbed the catch fencing which was a nice touch, got up close with lauda, wolff, lowe, allison, arrivabene, jackie stewart, all drivers bar rosberg and bottas, costa, andy cowell, booth, lowden, newey, saw dc, saw britta, great event well organised as always.

Also dont remember seeing felipe nasr, saw mark webber too near the porsche stand.
 
L

Lach

Member
DD said:
Sauber seems very happy with the improvements Ferrari did at the engine.
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I like it that Sauber clearly aknowledges that their improvement goes >50% to Ferrari and the engine. Of course they have fixed the aero/weight problems they had last year but they'd probably still be at the end of the pack if it weren't for Ferrari...
 
D

DrM

Redmond's Baby
Looks like Mercedes will delay their final PU upgrade until Barcelona

TarpitCarnivore said:
Hobbs and Matchet were speculating the contact in lap 1 could have led to the tire issues. His team tried to wave him, but he was given the go. Kimi shouldn't get too mad because Ferrari looks much better than they did last season and it's just been one race.
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Fun fact: Ferrari was 34,5 seconds behind yesterday. In 2014, they were 35,2 seconds behind Mercedes :) Malaysia should bring clearer picture on how they really improved.
 
S

Shaneus

Member
Lach said:
I like it that Sauber clearly aknowledges that their improvement goes >50% to Ferrari and the engine. Of course they have fixed the aero/weight problems they had last year but they'd probably still be at the end of the pack if it weren't for Ferrari...
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Were they running Ferrari last year? I didn't realise they'd improved their PU so much until the weekend. What's Renault's excuse?
 
H

Hammer24

Banned
As usual, salt as suits your flavor preference:
Looks like RBR tried to use a new software, that REN promised to catch up on horsepower deficit. They only got it last week, had no chance to try out beforehand.
The software played hell with gas pedal settings, they simply didn´t get it done to synchronize them over the weekend. So they had engine cutouts and related problems.
So there is a chance they wont look as bad next race, if they can sort it out.
 
D

Dizzan

MINI Member
i had an awesome weekend at the f1 despite the boring race
Spent Saturday on the skydeck watching qualifying. Sunday went for a pit walk 2 hours before the race. Then watched the race standing 2 metres from charlize theron! I have pics if people care.

The experience was amazing. Just a shame about the race itself. It's going to be a long season unless something drastic happens
 
M

massivekettle

Member
Asked how come Mercedes’ superiority had apparently stretched since last year, a senior team member wasn’t convinced that it had. “I think actually a lot of that was just Lewis. The car’s superiority was probably more like how Nico’s lap showed it – maybe around 1sec. Lewis’s was just an amazing lap in those conditions. He’s in the midst of contract negotiations and suddenly you see the difference that calibre of driver can make.”
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http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/f1/reports/2015-australian-grand-prix-report/

Damn... That probably explains the look on Lauda's face after that 1:26.4 lap.
 
B

Blastoise

Banned
Dizzan said:
i had an awesome weekend at the f1 despite the boring race
Spent Saturday on the skydeck watching qualifying. Sunday went for a pit walk 2 hours before the race. Then watched the race standing 2 metres from charlize theron! I have pics if people care.

The experience was amazing. Just a shame about the race itself. It's going to be a long season unless something drastic happens
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Damn. You must have some connections. Lol.
 
A

Aiii

So not worth it
These car manufacturers man, fickle as fuck.

Buy a team, sell a team, flash forward a few years, buy yet another team.

For the love of christ, pick one and stick with it.
 
G

Ganzlinger

Member
Spades said:
If anything, coming out and categorically stating that Wolff is not in line to replace Bottas if needed has harmed the team image. To me, it's a clear sign that Williams see her as nothing more than good PR. Why else would you not even consider promoting her to a race seat when she's done the most miles in the car compared to anyone outside the race drivers?

Which is a real shame.
Click to expand...
Agree.

Let Susie drive, Williams.
 
M

mclem

Member
ksharp said:
Asked how come Mercedes’ superiority had apparently stretched since last year, a senior team member wasn’t convinced that it had. “I think actually a lot of that was just Lewis. The car’s superiority was probably more like how Nico’s lap showed it – maybe around 1sec. Lewis’s was just an amazing lap in those conditions. He’s in the midst of contract negotiations and suddenly you see the difference that calibre of driver can make.”
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

The bolded also serves to explain Nasr's perfomance.
 
J

JadedWriter

Member
Yen said:
smh at that Horner story. Embarrassing.
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This alone might explain why I like Vettel more now that he's at Ferrari, I never did like the Red Bull team management. They come off as hypocrite cry babies that whine endlessly when they're not getting their way.
 
D

dubc35

Member
JadedWriter said:
This alone might explain why I like Vettel more now that he's at Ferrari, I never did like the Red Bull team management. They come off as hypocrite cry babies that whine endlessly when they're not getting their way.
Click to expand...

I agree, and was thinking the same thing.

I briefly tried to look back to reports after the 2011 Australian GP to see if people were whining about RBR (since it would have been the start Seb's 2nd WDC year & RBR 2nd WCC). I only looked at one BBC report but didn't see anything in there, might look more later if I have time.
 
J

JadedWriter

Member
dubc35 said:
I agree, and was thinking the same thing.

I briefly tried to look back to reports after the 2011 Australian GP to see if people were whining about RBR (since it would have been the start Seb's 2nd WDC year & RBR 2nd WCC). I only looked at one BBC report but didn't see anything in there, might look more later if I have time.
Click to expand...
I think most of the complaining started arising when it became clear they were doing some very intelligent rule breaking. Now that Horner just got his ass kicked by a Sauber he's crying for equalization clauses, get the fuck out of here with that shit. None of the team managers to my knowledge were saying anything of the sort when RBR was winning. I can only imagine what Marko said after the race.
 
M

Megasoum

Banned
This is crazy... The Horner story is very slowly making me a Vettel fan...

I used to no only hate Vettel but also hate Ferrari... Wtf is happening with me!


I guess Ferrari changed so much since the Todt days (which is when I hated them so much).
 
T

TarpitCarnivore

Member
Regarding the change in power units when did it become known there was going to be massive changes? Just curious if Mercedes decided to go all in on the new unit the moment they were informed and Red Bull opted to focus on securing more championships.
 
A

Addnan

Member
Renault were the ones threatening to leave F1 if the new engines do not come in several years ago right? So they should have been the most ready..
 
R

Rtas

Member
Wasn't a bad opening race, there has been worse. Ferrari looking a lot better than last year, some speed in the car and probably plenty that can be upgraded on it. Mercedes is away with it already and we knew that but it's Lewis's wdc to lose. Nico is a good driver but Lewis is a great driver. McLaren in all sorts of trouble, Fernando must be praying that Lewis goes to Ferrari next year because its going to be hard for Honda to get this engine sorted. Red bull hampered by the engine and their own whinging. Sauber had a good weekend considering everything that went on. Noobies all had good races.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
so what if Mercedes is dominating? How is this different from Red Bull a few years ago? The other teams just need time to get competitive - it'll come. Either they'll eventually all end up having Mercedes-like setups or everyone will move in a different direction.

And while I understand that might make things dull for people, I'm happy watching the races further down the field.
 
T

TarpitCarnivore

Member
mrklaw said:
so what if Mercedes is dominating? How is this different from Red Bull a few years ago? The other teams just need time to get competitive - it'll come. Either they'll eventually all end up having Mercedes-like setups or everyone will move in a different direction.

And while I understand that might make things dull for people, I'm happy watching the races further down the field.
Click to expand...

It's only been one race but look how much Sauber and Ferrari turned things around in a single season. No reason RBR can't do the same, especially when their Jr. team is driving on the same (I think?) power units.
 
N

nature boy

Member
mrklaw said:
so what if Mercedes is dominating? How is this different from Red Bull a few years ago? The other teams just need time to get competitive - it'll come. Either they'll eventually all end up having Mercedes-like setups or everyone will move in a different direction.

And while I understand that might make things dull for people, I'm happy watching the races further down the field.
Click to expand...

TV ratings are tanking.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
TarpitCarnivore said:
It's only been one race but look how much Sauber and Ferrari turned things around in a single season. No reason RBR can't do the same, especially when their Jr. team is driving on the same (I think?) power units.
Click to expand...

Sauber look a lot faster mostly because Renault completely fucked up an update to their engine. I really doubt they'll be in front of the Red Bull next race (probably not the Torro Rosso either).

Plus of course there's the Lotuses that didn't even get to do a lap.
 
J

JadedWriter

Member
Psychotext said:
Sauber look a lot faster mostly because Renault completely fucked up an update to their engine. I really doubt they'll be in front of the Red Bull next race (probably not the Torro Rosso either).

Plus of course there's the Lotuses that didn't even get to do a lap.
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If this is the case then Horner needs to shut up, get that software update working and strap some more updates onto that car. I'm usually not too hard on teams, but RBR is always whinging about something. Even when they were dominating they were whinging about their engine. Even McLaren have been doing their best to be as PR friendly with Honda as much as possible, RBR is just very unprofessional in some ways.
 
N

nature boy

Member
Dilly said:
Probably has more to do with it being behind a paywall everywhere.
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Well the current business model is double milking the free tv broadcasters and pay tv companies. In Germany and in particular Spain ratings from the Australian GP have gone down significantly in FTA.

The fact that Bernie agrees with Red Bull pretty much says it all.
 
K

kmag

Member
mrklaw said:
so what if Mercedes is dominating? How is this different from Red Bull a few years ago? The other teams just need time to get competitive - it'll come. Either they'll eventually all end up having Mercedes-like setups or everyone will move in a different direction.

And while I understand that might make things dull for people, I'm happy watching the races further down the field.
Click to expand...

Because unlike when Red Bull were dominating, there are arbitrary rules preventing the teams from properly closing that gap. Not Mercedes fault, they developed a superior engine design, but the token system doesn't allow enough change for Renault and Ferrari to replicate that. As Mercedes split turbo appears to be the most efficient way of generating power within the current rules and maximises the packaging of the car then it's almost impossible for Renault and Ferrari to catch up. Essentially the homologation in 2014 closed a 3 year win gate for Mercedes. They had the superior solution and the current rules prevent the usual F1 cycle of innovation and rampant copying.

At least when Red Bull were dominating teams could try to replicate their methods in season or by the next season. That isn't the case here. Don't get me wrong I enjoy a bit of the schadenfreude after all RB et al all voted for these rules, so there's definitely a bit of well you've made your bed so lay in it.

And it's not that's it dull, it was dull when Vettel was running around with a RB car glued to the track, it's that the totality of so many years of limited competitiveness (even though the midfield battles have been very entertaining) coupled with Bernie et al hiving off all the money while selling out to pay tv have put the sport in a bit of a death spiral. Ratings are dropping like a stone, and with those ratings go the sponsors. There is simply too much money being taken out of the sport, and sponsorship which was keeping teams going is getting harder and harder to find. Removing the engine rules don't fix the money issue (in fact the added cost and potential for engine manufacturers leaving would probably make it worse) but those rules have inadvertently stifled competition and that's not going to change until 2017. Competitiveness brings excitement which may bring back the viewers. At the moment the most entertaining thing is guessing when the Honda engine is going to blow up.
 
T

TylerD

Member
Dilly said:
Probably has more to do with it being behind a paywall everywhere.
Click to expand...

It's a damn shame. As more people are cutting the cords, moving F1 behind more and more paywalls is going to have a very damaging effect on the future popularity i'm afraid. People are watching less TV the traditional way and more so the younger generation. I see fewer people growing in to F1 fandom if the trend continues. Sure, you may be making more money now Bernie, but at what cost to the future health of the sport?
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
kmag said:
Because unlike when Red Bull were dominating, there are arbitrary rules preventing the teams from properly closing that gap. Not Mercedes fault, they developed a superior engine design, but the token system doesn't allow enough change for Renault and Ferrari to replicate that. As Mercedes split turbo appears to be the most efficient way of generating power within the current rules and maximises the packaging of the car then it's almost impossible for Renault and Ferrari to catch up. Essentially the homologation in 2014 closed a 3 year win gate for Mercedes. They had the superior solution and the current rules prevent the usual F1 cycle of innovation and rampant copying.

At least when Red Bull were dominating teams could try to replicate their methods in season or by the next season. That isn't the case here.

And it's not that's it dull, it was dull when Vettel was running around with a RB car glued to the track, it's that the totality of so many years of limited competitiveness (even though the midfield battles have been very entertaining) coupled with Bernie et al hiving off all the money while selling out to pay tv have put the sport in a bit of a death spiral. Ratings are dropping like a stone, and with those ratings go the sponsors. There is simply too much money being taken out of the sport, and sponsorship which was keeping teams going is getting harder and harder to find. Removing the engine rules don't fix the money issue (in fact the added cost and potential for engine manufacturers leaving would probably make it worse) but those rules have inadvertently stifled competition and that's not going to change until 2017. Competitiveness brings excitement which may bring back the viewers. At the moment the most entertaining thing is guessing when the Honda engine is going to blow up.
Click to expand...

so remove the rules for a while. Always seemed odd to make such big changes to engine regulations and then restrict development at the same time. You need to allow for things to settle a bit before putting restrictions in place.
 
Fox Mulder

Fox Mulder

Member
TylerD said:
It's a damn shame. As more people are cutting the cords, moving F1 behind more and more paywalls is going to have a very damaging effect on the future popularity i'm afraid. People are watching less TV the traditional way and more so the younger generation. I see fewer people growing in to F1 fandom if the trend continues. Sure, you may be making more money now Bernie, but at what cost to the future health of the sport?
Click to expand...

he doesnt care, he's old as fuck. Gotta get his while he can.
 
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