The Official Formula 1 Racing Thread
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Supafly
Back for Good
Ivy Adams
Verified Performer
Crazy Race!!
What did you all think??
My favorite moment of the race was when Lewis Hamilton said "I can't get past this guy."
You all know I love me some Max Verstappen, and I have said from day one that he is one of the best at defensive driving and blocking. Hopefully with a Ferrari engine, he'll be able to fine tune and hone his accuracy and his team can time his pit stops well. I'd love to see him get some podiums in his 2nd year out.
I feel like Lewis Hamilton was looking a little rough around the edges in his interviews the past couple days. Just me?
Like he partied a little too hard and his brain hasn't quite recovered :dunno: ... and was that them Booing him at the trophy ceremony??
I want Vettel to take home the championship this year. Love Vettel.
I enjoyed the race, thought it was exciting!!!... and so happy to see that Alonso was able to walk away from that mangled car.
What did you all think??
My favorite moment of the race was when Lewis Hamilton said "I can't get past this guy."
You all know I love me some Max Verstappen, and I have said from day one that he is one of the best at defensive driving and blocking. Hopefully with a Ferrari engine, he'll be able to fine tune and hone his accuracy and his team can time his pit stops well. I'd love to see him get some podiums in his 2nd year out.
I feel like Lewis Hamilton was looking a little rough around the edges in his interviews the past couple days. Just me?
Like he partied a little too hard and his brain hasn't quite recovered :dunno: ... and was that them Booing him at the trophy ceremony?? I want Vettel to take home the championship this year. Love Vettel.
I enjoyed the race, thought it was exciting!!!... and so happy to see that Alonso was able to walk away from that mangled car.
I thought it was a fantastic race. I'm totally rooting for Vettel this year! Qualifying was a mess and changing it was totally a mistake, but it looks like they know that and are changing it back for next time. I want Ferrari to win is so bad to year so it was heart breaking to Kimi come in with his car on fire.
I'm so glad Fernando Alonso was alright. That was the most grisly crash I've seen since Jules Bianchi (RIP).
And as an American I'm so happy Haas is here and I have a home team to root for! 8 points is a great start!
Max and Toro Rosso did really well but I think he can be too aggressive sometimes. I love that toro Rosso is better than red bull this year to pay them back for all there whining and poor treatment of Renault last year.
I'm so glad Fernando Alonso was alright. That was the most grisly crash I've seen since Jules Bianchi (RIP).
And as an American I'm so happy Haas is here and I have a home team to root for! 8 points is a great start!
Max and Toro Rosso did really well but I think he can be too aggressive sometimes. I love that toro Rosso is better than red bull this year to pay them back for all there whining and poor treatment of Renault last year.
larss
I'm watching some specialist videos
Good to see a bit of a mix up. Lewis having to work a bit for his 2nd place made for a more interesting race.
Quali was an unmitigated disaster, which everyone agreed. I don't think we'll be seeing that again.
Ferrari are looking better and, unless Mercedes can improve their starts, it looks like they will be giving the silver arrows a run for their money this season.
Quali was an unmitigated disaster, which everyone agreed. I don't think we'll be seeing that again.
Ferrari are looking better and, unless Mercedes can improve their starts, it looks like they will be giving the silver arrows a run for their money this season.
Supafly
Back for Good
First and overall impression of the proceedings so far:
This is going to be a hell of a tight championship! The teams are way more on one level, and the new tire options add some interesting - probably sometimes fatal - spice to the game.
I also think that Vettel is back on track, as Ferrari obviously has done an inspiring job building a car that is able to compete with the Mercedes.
Plus: We have a german GP again! Awesome.
This is going to be a hell of a tight championship! The teams are way more on one level, and the new tire options add some interesting - probably sometimes fatal - spice to the game.
I also think that Vettel is back on track, as Ferrari obviously has done an inspiring job building a car that is able to compete with the Mercedes.
Plus: We have a german GP again! Awesome.
larss
I'm watching some specialist videos
Ah yes. The 3 tyre choice looks like it could really help add a bit more excitement.
I don't agree with it being a tight championship (at least not the constructors), Mercedes walked over everyone in qualifying and despite a disastrous opening sequence that led to them dropping to 3rd and 6th they were still able to finish 1st and 2nd. The gap to Ferrari + others seems at least as large as last year.
I'm surprised Grosjean managed such a high finish given the Haas' performance in qualifying, did he just get lucky with safety car timing?
It's a shame that the huge accident effectively ruined what was shaping up to be a great race but I agree with dpantski and would advise against getting your hopes up too much folks. Yes, I think Ferrari would have won the race if it wasn't for the safety car and subsequent red flag but it looks to me like it's pretty much same case scenario as last season. Ferrari can't get close in qualifying trim but are much more competitive on race day as they were last season - and will win the odd race here and there. The only reason Ferrari got themselves ahead of the Mercedes drivers was because they had shoddy getaways off the start-line. Unless that becomes a feature, they won't be leading into turn 1 very often. The extra tyre choice does at least provide the potential for a bit of a wildcard in terms of strategy.
That crash was a massive escape for Alonso. He's been involved in some death-defying accidents in his career. None more so than this one. The replay in real-time is the most shocking. An F1 car travelling at high speed... through the air. The slo-mo's don't do it justice.
F1 management (whoever this may consist of) have made a complete cock-up of things and are an embarrassment to us all. Coming up with a new qualifying format at the last minute and rushing it through into action rather than thinking it through properly first. The teams kept apologising to us when it's not their fault - they had to go along with it because the powers that be thought it would "improve the show". Who are these faceless idiots with these bright ideas? They remain in the shadows whilst making everyone else look like clowns. Deciding to relax the rules on team radio messages about an hour before the race rounded off a farcical display of cluelessness. Team's had spent all of the winter training their staff on what they could and couldn't say, only for it to be relaxed. You may say it's common sense prevailing, but why did it get to this stage? Who the hell is running this sport? Get some well-respected and knowledgeable figures on the board who can make logical and informed decisions for the betterment of the sport. Every season is a new set of regulations with the idea of "let's see if this works" rather than a long-term plan that everything can settle down into.
That crash was a massive escape for Alonso. He's been involved in some death-defying accidents in his career. None more so than this one. The replay in real-time is the most shocking. An F1 car travelling at high speed... through the air. The slo-mo's don't do it justice.
F1 management (whoever this may consist of) have made a complete cock-up of things and are an embarrassment to us all. Coming up with a new qualifying format at the last minute and rushing it through into action rather than thinking it through properly first. The teams kept apologising to us when it's not their fault - they had to go along with it because the powers that be thought it would "improve the show". Who are these faceless idiots with these bright ideas? They remain in the shadows whilst making everyone else look like clowns. Deciding to relax the rules on team radio messages about an hour before the race rounded off a farcical display of cluelessness. Team's had spent all of the winter training their staff on what they could and couldn't say, only for it to be relaxed. You may say it's common sense prevailing, but why did it get to this stage? Who the hell is running this sport? Get some well-respected and knowledgeable figures on the board who can make logical and informed decisions for the betterment of the sport. Every season is a new set of regulations with the idea of "let's see if this works" rather than a long-term plan that everything can settle down into.
Serious nasty accident
Ivy Adams
Verified Performer
I agree with everything you said except for this. I don't think it was a horrible start for Mercedes as much as their starts aren't as fine tuned as the Ferrari this year. Are you telling me that you don't think Ferrari was working on a strategy to beat Mercedes after the past couple of years?... One that maybe involved an engine tune that helped them off the line? It's hard for me to believe that it's a coincidence that BOTH Ferraris shot ahead immediately without some previous knowledge that their cars were going to do so. Everyone has been talking about Ferrari having something up their sleeve, and I think it's this.
If I was an engineer at Ferrari my mind would say this.. "We're having difficulty catching them, when we're behind them it's hard to get around them... but if we can leap ahead at the start then we can keep them behind us through driver skill and the use of the defensive line." Okay... so then I would try to incorporate the electric generators for an initial power boost, or some tweaking on a variable vane turbo. I don't know all the specs of the engine, but I can imagine the endless capabilities and that is what I would be focusing on.
I think it's going to be an interesting season and if Ferrari is able to get ahead than they will be able to stay ahead and take it to Mercedes.
larss
I'm watching some specialist videos
The biggest problem is getting the traction off the line. Too much power down and you get what happened to the Mercs. No launch control this year, either so it really is a matter of trying not to spin up the wheels on take off.
Whatever the case, we've only seen 1 start so we can't jump to conclusions. Maybe Ferrari do have a better car from a standing start but their drivers may also have both gotten better starts individually than the 2 Merc drivers.
Or maybe there's some shenanigans going on and the marshals are being told to make the front row tarmac dirtier to hinder the starts and make it more interesting.
Let's see how things pan out over the next few races but I would have to doubt whether Ferrari could have that substantial of an advantage over the others off the start-line. The whole starting procedure has changed for this season - they only have one clutch pedal and don't have the benefit of being advised over optimal settings from their team over the radio. There is an element of the drivers getting used to things so I'd imagine there will be a large degree of levelling out over a period of time.
If we're basing Ferrari's title credentials on their ability to regularly jump the Mercedes on the start, then we should be very cautious indeed. Fair play to them if they have devised such as system though, as it would render the whole process of qualifying as insignificant!
If we're basing Ferrari's title credentials on their ability to regularly jump the Mercedes on the start, then we should be very cautious indeed. Fair play to them if they have devised such as system though, as it would render the whole process of qualifying as insignificant!
Ivy Adams
Verified Performer
Getting grip on the launch is a matter of suspension set up. What are you willing to compromise for lower pressures in the rear tires or a softer rear suspension? That would create more of an understeer situation in turns, but Ferrari moved some of their engine components around towards the front of the car for better balance, which would make it more of a neutrally balanced car.
The same could be said for Mercedes. With them having the best all around car, isn't qualifying useless anyway?
I feel like they would be used to the start with the amount of miles logged during training. I would assume that starting with the new setup would be part of it. Also, having one clutch pedal instead of two would be easier, I can't imagine many drivers having a harder time starting with one clutch as opposed to two. As far as the engineers in the ear advising on optimal settings... wouldn't that create an even playing field across the board? Taking it back to the basics of whichever car has the best set up to handle the launch. Which would then make even more sense for a car to tweak their settings and handle the start better, if they aren't going to have the ability to advise on optimal settings.
.. just some conspiracy theories
larss
I'm watching some specialist videos
You can't do much with tyre pressures these days, with a minimum pressure set at each race and spot checked. Mercedes were called to the stewards after the Monza GP last year due to pressures being measured below the minimum. At the end of the day there was no case to answer as the measurements were made on tyres that had been taken out of their blankets and were significantly cooler than they would have been when fitted.
From what Lewis has said since, he just got it wrong and they will be practicing starts.
From what Lewis has said since, he just got it wrong and they will be practicing starts.
Ivy Adams
Verified Performer
Regardless of tire pressure (which I'm aware is minimal, however there is still enough of a window for there to be changes)you can control the traction with suspension set-up. Springs and dampers. The fact that Ferrari moved engine components to the front of the car to balance makes sense if they did a softer rear suspension to help control traction off the line.
I also feel like Mercedes bad start in Australia could be down to the new single clutch handle setup this year, that makes the bite point for first gear even more vague and hard to find. If you look at last year Vettel did the same thing to Hamilton and Nico after they removed the automated systems that made the bite point easier to find. Kimi said they practiced the new clutch setup tons over the winter. Maybe merc didn't focus on it as much as they should have.
