The Official Formula 1 Racing Thread

[TheAdmiral]

Only a few days until Australia practice 1. Marussia is back as Manor, with only one driver so far, Will Stevens.

 

[The Identifier]

Yep, not long to go now. Looking forward to it.

So Kevin Magnussen is going to line up alongside Jenson Button at McLaren for 2015 after all .... albeit temporarily.

Meanwhile, this is Lotus' new development driver...

 

[Supafly]

And on the other hand, I predict THIS team will grow a lot of female fans just regarding those two fine guys :bounce:

 

[TheAdmiral]

Will Stevens will be partnered by Roberto Merhi. Jordan King will be the third driver.

 

[The Identifier]

There's an ongoing dispute at Sauber... a court has ruled that Giedo van der Garde must be given a race seat.

All a bit messy.

 

[Supafly]

There's an ongoing dispute at Sauber... a court has ruled that Giedo van der Garde must be given a race seat.

All a bit messy.

Yes, read about that yesterday. I believe he wants to be cashed out. Racing for a team you forced your way in, how stupid is that to begin with?

THIS is what a race driver should be like:

 

[Anonyne#017]

Formula 1 Circus seems to be one of the rare shows I bother to watch besides some ice-hockey time to time. But all these underaged kids, amateur "crush, crash and destroy" pay drivers and even women driving cars sounds like a cheap attempt to gain viewers by adding more clowns to the show and make this Circus even more comical to watch... I'll be waiting how long it will take until these driver suits will be changed into a clown suits. make cars shoot fireworks and funny horn sounds music as they lap.

We will probably see soon if this season is going to be any interesting regarding huge caps between some teams...

 

[Rey C.]

Yep, not long to go now. Looking forward to it.

So Kevin Magnussen is going to line up alongside Jenson Button at McLaren for 2015 after all .... albeit temporarily.

Meanwhile, this is Lotus' new development driver...

View attachment 419588

Good to see that Lotus is going for well qualified racers to fill development driver slots.

Well, she's pretty and her daddy is connected = Lotus (pay) development driver.

Other than a go kart race (where there were 8 year olds celebrating a birthday party), has this one ever won anything close to an actual automobile race in her life? I was so hoping that Williams would be allowed to stick Susie "My Husband Provides You With Discounted Engines" Wolff in to sub for Bottas this weekend. I know she's not the designated reserve, but still... I'm up for some more F1 comedy. And hey, a couple of years back, the IRL tried loading the field with several cute girls who couldn't race (excluding Simona, here). And look how well it worked for them. I think the IRL is still in business. But I never hear anything about them anymore, so I'm not sure.

Politically correct engines and a politically correct field of (paying) drivers. Making the F1 world a better place, one bad decision after another.

 

[dpantski]

Good to see that Lotus is going for well qualified racers to fill development driver slots.

Well, she's pretty and her daddy is connected = Lotus (pay) development driver.

Other than a go kart race (where there were 8 year olds celebrating a birthday party), has this one ever won anything close to an actual automobile race in her life? I was so hoping that Williams would be allowed to stick Susie "My Husband Provides You With Discounted Engines" Wolff in to sub for Bottas this weekend. I know she's not the designated reserve, but still... I'm up for some more F1 comedy. And hey, a couple of years back, the IRL tried loading the field with several cute girls who couldn't race (excluding Simona, here). And look how well it worked for them. I think the IRL is still in business. But I never hear anything about them anymore, so I'm not sure.

Politically correct engines and a politically correct field of (paying) drivers. Making the F1 world a better place, one bad decision after another.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_Jordá

Basically no, she's even less qualified that Susie Wolff. Doesn't seem to have recorded a single win in her racing career and hasn't scored points in a racing series for 5 years.

 

[Supafly]

After the strange double-points in last race and taking the german Grand Prix off the calendar probably because Bernie now hates Germany because he got taken to court here, I guess they take it to other exotic places to gather some more attention.

I bet next season some other bullshit will be added

Still, I watch it, with much fun.

 

[The Identifier]

Good to see that Lotus is going for well qualified racers to fill development driver slots.

Well, she's pretty and her daddy is connected = Lotus (pay) development driver.

Other than a go kart race (where there were 8 year olds celebrating a birthday party), has this one ever won anything close to an actual automobile race in her life? I was so hoping that Williams would be allowed to stick Susie "My Husband Provides You With Discounted Engines" Wolff in to sub for Bottas this weekend. I know she's not the designated reserve, but still... I'm up for some more F1 comedy. And hey, a couple of years back, the IRL tried loading the field with several cute girls who couldn't race (excluding Simona, here). And look how well it worked for them. I think the IRL is still in business. But I never hear anything about them anymore, so I'm not sure.

Politically correct engines and a politically correct field of (paying) drivers. Making the F1 world a better place, one bad decision after another.

I'm willing to bet that they won't put their other test driver Alex Lynn in for Bottas if needed, either. Makes you wonder what the point of having one or more test drivers is if you're not going to make use of them for anything other than driving simulators and stuff.

What it's basically saying is - we'll let you drive the car in a handful of practice sessions per season, but even when the opportunity arises - there's no prospect of you ever having a race seat. Therefore, what's the point?

Surely all teams should have a designated driver to step in when required. Nobody could have stepped in for Bottas this weekend - because once he's qualified for the race, only he is allowed to race - fair enough. However, you're always going to need a replacement for when a driver is going to be out for any length of time, as the alternative is running one car - and that's not exactly an option as the teams rely so heavily on the money generated by constructor points. If this was a back-to-back race (1 week gap) then they'd have even less time to figure out who the hell they want to put in the car. Sell to the highest bidder?

 

[Supafly]

Red Bull seems to be the first major player who gets hit as the fucked-up rules and regulations blow up because the big teams didn't want change

...

THINGS are getting catty in F1, with Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and even Force India trading barbs in the wake of the Australian Grand Prix.

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg has officially invited his Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel to attend the German team’s debrief in Malaysia following the pairs’ spat after Mercedes dominated season opener on Sunday.

Defending champion Lewis Hamilton picked up where he left off in Melbourne, claiming victory with Mercedes team-mate Rosberg second and Vettel third.

At the post-race press conference for the podium finishers, Vettel mocked Rosberg’s claim he wanted to see more competition in races to make the sport more exciting after Mercedes finished half a minute ahead of the field.

“So, you hope you slow down, is that what you’re saying?” Vettel quipped.

...

‘WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD’

Meanwhile, Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley has welcomed Christian Horner “to the real world” following the Red Bull boss’ demands for change in the sport.

After four years of success from 2010 to 2013, Red Bull were toppled from F1’s summit last season by Mercedes, who look set to dominate the new campaign as well.

Fearing a boring season and fans turning away, Horner believes the FIA has scope within the regulations to equalise matters. Red Bull’s problem is that power-unit supplier Renault have failed to do as good a job as Mercedes, in particular over the winter as the French manufacturer has taken what Horner has described as “a retrograde step”.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff went so far as to suggest to Horner that he take his complaints to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
...

http://www.news.com.au/sport/motors...alian-grand-prix/story-fnec578q-1227267336199

 

[Supafly]

As the show goes on, it looks more and more as if Formula One will have - and will - go and be drastically changed. And eventually, the godfather will drop, one way or another.

Malaysian Grand Prix 2015: Bernie Ecclestone desperate to force through Formula One change

F1 supremo proposes points for qualifying, mixed up grids, more double points and wet races as part of scattergun approach, writes Daniel Johnson

Bernie Ecclestone studied the assembled gaggle of journalists around the table, quipped at his own vulnerability before asking what ideas we might have for improving Formula One. That about sums up the current state of the sport.

“All you b----- crowd have been complaining about everything, so let’s hear it,” F1’s impresario said on Friday. “If you were in my position, apart from leaving, what would you do?”

...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mo...rate-to-force-through-Formula-One-change.html

 

[Rey C.]

If I may quote Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff after yesterday's race: :wtf:

That's all they said. Over & over & over again.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso is being treated for severe depression and all sharp objects have been removed from the McLaren motorhome.

 

[The Identifier]

'Twas a pleasant surprise. Let's hope it wasn't a one-off and wasn't just track/conditions specific. I'm postponing my reaction to the result for another few races...

On the subject of McLaren, when is the last time two World Champions competed for last spot on the grid? They can't wait for Manor to start running both cars so that they don't look so bad. Even then, Manor might outdo them for reliability.

 

[Supafly]

If I may quote Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff after yesterday's race: :wtf:

That's all they said. Over & over & over again.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso is being treated for severe depression and all sharp objects have been removed from the McLaren motorhome.

Maybe they buid him a special car so that there always is a second pilot in his cockpit?

But Vettel & Ferrari are back in touch with Mercedes. I think that the extreme conditions played out against Hamilton, but it will be much closer from now on.

 

[Supafly]

Formula 1 never stops surprising us

Should women drivers have their own F1 championship?

Should women drivers have their own F1 championship?

By Susie East, for CNN

Updated 1206 GMT (1906 HKT) April 3, 2015

(CNN)Is it finally time for women to have their own Formula One races?

While the likes of Susie Wolff and Carmen Jorda have landed development roles with teams in recent seasons, there hasn't been a female driver on the starting grid for almost 40 years.

The last woman to compete in an F1 race was Lella Lombardi in 1976, and the last to try to qualify for one was Giovanna Amati in 1992.

F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone told the media at last weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix that female racers would benefit from a "showcase" series.

But when asked by CNN about the possibility of forming a separate women's F1 world championship, he responded: "I am not sure if this will happen."

...

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/03/motorsport/bernie-ecclestone-carmen-jorda-women-championship-f1/

 

[Supafly]

Dramatic news from Red Bull

Red Bull to quit Formula One if Renault has no competitive engine

Vienna: Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz says the team will quit Formula One if engine supplier Renault doesn't manage to build "a competitive power unit."

Mateschitz tells the Austria Press Agency "we'll only stay in Formula One if we have a competitive team, and we need a competitive power unit for that ... The problem is that we can't control it."

Mateschitz doesn't mention a timeframe for improvement by the French manufacturer, whose contract runs until the end of 2016. The Austrian billionaire has ruled out the option of Red Bull starting to build its own engine.

...

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/red-bull...lt-has-no-competitive-engine/538915-5-24.html

I can absolutely see that F1 makes zero sense if your supplier can't come up with an engine that allows for you to compete on a level like in years before. But can't they get a new supplier?

 

[Rey C.]

Dramatic news from Red Bull



http://ibnlive.in.com/news/red-bull...lt-has-no-competitive-engine/538915-5-24.html

I can absolutely see that F1 makes zero sense if your supplier can't come up with an engine that allows for you to compete on a level like in years before. But can't they get a new supplier?

There were rumors of them approaching VW. But apparently the Chairman(?) of VW hates Bernie and doesn't want to devote money to an F1 program while Bernie is still running the show. But I'm really surprised at JUST how bad the Renault engine is, and has been since the rules change. But Red Bull also must look in the mirror. With a lot less money and resources, Toro Rosso seems to have its act together better than Red Bull - with the same engine. Red Bull claims that Newey hasn't totally checked out. But considering how average the Red Bull chassis is, you have to wonder.

Also, poor Nico is complaining once again about how Hamilton messed up his race... by not going faster(???). Of course, Hamilton responded by saying that it wasn't his job to do anything to make Nico's race better. Hamilton was probably happy to see Nico in 2nd, as nothing more than a buffer between himself and Vettel. IMO, with Hamilton now 3-0 vs Rosberg in poles and 3-0 in results, Rosberg will soon find himself as the designated #2 driver if the battle with Ferrari heats up much more. My guess is, Mercedes will (if they haven't already) at some point say that whoever is ahead of the other, at a certain point in a race, will maintain their position, short of a pass in the pits. And if Hamilton is fighting for WDC points vs Vettel or Raikkonen more than Nico, at some point Nico may get a familiar call "Nico, Lewis is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?" And with that, Nico will look even more crushed than he did yesterday.

I'm a Hamilton fan, though I've always liked Nico too. But their relationship (on track) reminds me very much of Senna and Berger. I liked both of them too (though Senna was THE man). But unlike Berger eventually did, Nico hasn't yet faced the reality of who and what he is (or is becoming) at Mercedes AMG: #2 driver. I'm thinking that if Hamilton gets a win from pole this weekend, Nico should just face that reality. I don't want it to break him (cause then they'll fire him). But Merc won't let him race Hamilton for wins if the Constructor's chase is tight. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Supafly]

I am a Hamilton fan, myself. I would not say in public that I would have done better if only my teammate would have made the choice and driven faster. Rosberg had a full race to do as good as Lewis, with pretty much the same car.

Thanks for pointig out the issue about Toro Rosso - I forgot.