Anyone here follow F-1?
First race next weekend in Australia......
Everyone wonders whether Ferrari will be able to take it to the Mercedes this year, no one knows for sure but I expect it to be really close racing at the front!
New American team Haas had a tough test season, but did manage to get some decent laps in, as Ferrari's defacto "B" team I expect them to be solid mid-field runners by the end of the year.
Going to be an interesting season, and I wonder who will step in to fill Maldonado's shoes as season goat? He's supposed to be going to one of the Indy car teams this year to run the street and road races - THAT should be interesting!
2015 season was my last that I will pay to follow. I had plans to attend more races but killed all those plans.
Bernie says he only wants people who buy Ferrari's and Rolex's to be his fans. The normal folk who use social media are the poors and he is not interested in appealing to them.
There has been a shift of races on historic scenic tracks to tracks that have to use tight camera angles so you do not see the empty stands. Those tracks are mostly in the Middle east now and and other places where there is no fan base but the government is willing to dole out the money needed to pay Bernie to have the race in their country, even if it is at a loss.
Lets add in a new qualifying format which will most likely end with the same 2 cars from the same team being the only cars on track fighting for the pole position on 75% or better of the F1 weekends. It was bad enough the same 2 cars are on every single podium on race day.
This all leaves me conflicted, I will somewhat follow if I can watch streams of the race. Otherwise, I will be a Sunday evening check the F1 news websites fan.
I am very interested to see if Hass can be a midfield runner right out of the hole. I am also interested to see what Ferrari have for Mercedes. Fingers are crossed that this is not another season of Mercedes 1-2 finishes. We have not seen such a dominant season even in the Red Bull and Schumacher Ferrari years there was more variety. I also want to see if Red Bull with the Tag engine tweeks will be a faster car too, also McLaren / Honda that is a super budget that is not going to languish for long.
Curious so see how this season pans out.
Go Kimi!!
(http://www.stickertec.co.uk/image/cache/catalog/T-shirts/Kimi%20Black-500x500.jpg)
I just watch the races on TV, I can usually find them on Fox or one of the majors for the North American races, tho I have to say getting rid of Bob Varsha for Leigh "I cant' shut up" Diffey was a huge mistake.
I want to see if the McHonda can drive itself out of last place this season, and I think the Toro Rossos will be giving the Red Bull fits this year - nothing like having the junior varsity beating up on the big team!
The midfield is where all the real action will be this season, I don't expect Haas to be in there swinging, at least in the first few races, in fact if they can even finish the first few races that will be a big step for them. But there will be some solid teams in the mid bunch including the McHonda, Force India and Williams cars.....
As log as the Benzer boys don' just run off and hide from the rest, it should be a fun season.
I don't really care where Bernie holds his races or how many people show up in Carjackistan to watch, it's just a TV show any more for me.
Quote from: MiniDave on March 08, 2016, 11:57:06 AM
I don't really care where Bernie holds his races or how many people show up in Carjackistan to watch, it's just a TV show any more for me.
I will politely disagree. You do not repeatedly shit on your fans and expect them to stay. Once he made that statement, I for one refuse to pay for additional service to see F1. I dropped Direct TV which I had only to watch races. I found a cool app on my Fire TV that I am pretty sure will give me access to the races 1 day later. If I read a race was a good one, I will go find it and watch. F1 is the only sport I follow and now I am barely following it. I used to be that guy, the one that tivo'd every race, then transferred the races to DVD, cataloged and filed them. I have about 10 seasons on DVD in a case. Now I am kind of put off by the entire show.
F1's technology sucks. F1 took forever to even go to HD broadcast quality. Their live timing sucks it is always behind, like 30 second or more. Their on screen information compared to the likes of Nascar (which I cannot stand, it is insulting) is a joke. The lack of options for a fan is a missed opportunity. Being able to subscribe to a driver like Nascar would be a good move too.
Our American broadcast team sucks if Diffy is not explaining for the 1000 time some mundane rule or feature on the car (do they explain the bases and rules of baseball every single game?) then Hobbs is identifying the wrong driver or team on screen, or missing something on screen because they are too busy trying to out do each other. Then the commercial breaks are maddening.
I started watching on Univision even though I cannot understand Spanish, I found the commentary to be 100x better. Plus they do not break for commercials at all, even after the race, you realize how much you miss.
I am not a fan of many of the tracks on the calendar, when great European tracks are removed from the schedule so Korea can have a race or China or some ME country that would prefer to blow up the infedels and refuses to let the drivers have champagne on the podium I get pretty put off by it. Bernie is chasing money, money that may not be there much longer unless gas prices go up. Many ME countries are hurting right now. I have to wonder if this gas price thing is a behind the scenes tactic to hurt them. Meanwhile the stands are empty which I think really takes away from the weekend. There is a reason drivers love certain venues like Montreal where the drivers always comment on the energy of the fans and city. That should always be a part fot he weekend.
Do you ever go to Axis of Oversteer? It is a great site and there is a great video on there right now of an amateur racer at Mount Panorama. The one race was more exciting than the entire 2015 season of F1.
http://blog.axisofoversteer.com/
Plus he gives a fresh view on the happenings in all motorsports. It is a great site and the writer on there is a track tard as well a a Bimmerforums member.
I respect your opinion, but since I can't do anything about any of that /\, I've decided to simply watch the races......and recognize them for what they are NOW, a TV show.
Yes it used to be different back in the day - I've been watching F1 since the 1960's - but then pretty much everything was different back in the day.....this is now. None of my bitching and complaining has done a single thing to change anything in F1, never will. So I can get upset and rant and rave over how I'd like things to be, or I can simply watch how they are.
I choose the second...... and I still find plenty of reasons to watch.
I do have to turn the sound just about off tho, I don't understand why broadcasters decided they had to talk every second of a broadcast now, but that's the way they do it in pretty much every sport, be it football, basketball or racing.
This ad for the 2016 American F1 race is exactly what I'm on about.....what are they really advertising here, the race or the concert?
The USGP is in financial trouble, after that tropical system hit last year killing revenue of concession sales, and the Texas govt. not 100% backing the event anymore, plus Bernies huge fee that you have to pay to get the event at your venue, they are digging deep to make sure the place is packed.
Bringing Americas sweetheart to perform was probably a very good move. Sadly this is what is going to be needed to keep F1 in venues where the government will not pay for the event to happen.
Give Univision a try for the broadcast, I think you will like it, especially after the race when the camera is planted on the drivers int he green room, in some cases the tension is remarkable.
Story behind USGP being in trouble.
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/11/is-the-f1-future-of-the-us-grand-prix-at-the-circuit-of-the-americas-under-threat/
Well, now that the US GP is on solid ground again (BTW - this is one fantastic track, I've been a couple of times and it is on my bucket list to drive some laps here one day - soon I hope) now I hear that the Brazilian GP (how many are there in a brazillion again?) is on the rocks. Losing the season ender would be terrible.....
I also saw where Bernie said he wants to expand to Africa, since they've never held a race there........really? Bernie never heard of Kyalami in South Africa? Where they held the GP from 1961 - 1985??
Bernie is out of his flipping mind.
I guess I am a traditionalist. Australia should start each season and Brazil should end it.
When they end it in the M.E., if seems kind of weird.
It is ironic, I am not a traditional person at all, I have no traditions and do not care for them.
I am curious to see how this qualifying format works. It could be a fantastic disaster turning things upside down. I fear it will make Sunday boring as teams will be out of tires by then and spend the day managing in stead of racing.
So, the bride and I stayed up last night and watched the F1 race from Oz, and what a race it was!
I won't spoil it for the rest of the group in case someone has recorded it or is watching the delayed broadcast today - but that was one of the best races in recent memory, and bodes well for this season!
Congrats to Haas, an excellent finish to their first race!
***Spoilers below***
Rule #1 - Do not read a F1 thread if you do not want to see results, it is a pretty simple rule. When I want to be surprised, I stay off the internet and social media. We should not have to refrain from discussing the race in a F1 thread.
There are glimmers of hope shown that this may not be a Mercedes dominant season.
I watched the race last night, Vettel got a rocket start and the 2 Mercedes guys got horrible starts. Once they sort that out I am afraid it will be lights to Flag Mercedes races.
They are obviously blistering over a single lap, and it appears they are very fast in race trim too. Not sure Ferrari has an answer. We will see in the next race if this was a fluke.
Random thoughts:
I was amazed to see Alonso emerge from that wreck unscathed.
Ferrari may not have been able to take 1st or second if they chose tires better, I do not think Seb had the pace on Mediums to hold off the Mercs.
Kimi still has anvils falling from the sky on him.
Hass, has come to race, good for them, I am so happy to see the US F1 team is not a joke. A Nascar team boss (where my friend works) said it would be impossible for Haas to score points, he just ate crow.
I think you're right about the outright pace of the Benz vs the Ferrari on equal tires, but if Vettel can get out in front I think he can stay there.......the temp of the track seems to have a lot to do with tire degradation between the two cars too, with the Ferrari seeming to be easier on it's tires in hotter conditions.
Any way you cut it, the whole world wants to see someone challenge the Mercs and not have it be another runaway season....Vettel sure seems happy at Ferrari, doesn't he?
I was encouraged by Haas performance, but I'm not sure they're really a 6th place team - still they were ready for the challenge this weekend, so kudos to them. One thing I thought was interesting, Guttierrez was faster than Mr. BigJeans all weekend......
Wonder how Manor feels to see the new team score points on their first outing and they've only scored one time in the five years they've been on the grid.....even with their new Mercedes power! And McHonda and Sauber also have to be feeling a little blue right about now too over Haas' performance......
All in all, a good start to the season, I'll be looking forward to seeing what the lads do in Bahrain next......
I was also amazed to see Riccardo finish 5th, I really though the STR's were going to be faster.
I am glad they ditched the qualifying format and are going back to last years, that was a disaster, I did not watch just read about it and decided to not even bother looking for the qualifying.
Holy shit...
(http://cdn-9.motorsport.com/images/amp/6zyoZykY/s6/f1-australian-gp-2016-fernando-alonso-mclaren-mp4-31-in-a-huge-crash.jpg)
Saw this pic on Instagram and laughed. I used to really hate this guy, but he is growing on me.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/21/14/326E06DD00000578-0-image-a-56_1458569795297.jpg)
I was touched my Esteban running to make sure he was o.k. he scored big points with me for that.
(http://media.crash.net/original/PA1868720.0036.jpg)
Race summery video if anyone is interested.
http://blog.axisofoversteer.com/2016/03/2016-australian-gp-executive-summary.html
Formula One is at it again. This time deleting all Instagram and Twitter, accounts if they contain, F1, Fomula One or Grand Prix. Further alienating their fans, you know, the fans Bernie said he did not care about because Social media was for the poors that do not buy Ferrari's or Rolex's.
Sad indeed.
http://www.grandprix247.com/2016/03/27/fom-bullies-die-hard-f1-fans-on-social-media-and-internet/
QuoteIt is not a new phenomenon that FOM bullies small media organisations to stop using so called Formula 1, Formula One and/or F1 'trademark' – this site changed name due to this. We even have an alternative to GrandPrix247, should the need arise...
Nevertheless, in an age when most mainstream sports embrace 'new age' fans, those who use social media platforms and the web to debate and promote the sport they love. However FOM and the powers that be in F1 will rather go to war with this free (and widespread) promotional weapon rather than leveraging this as a massively powerful marketing resource for the sport – make them happy not sad....
Clearly there are some very shortsighted people at the the top of FOM making bizarre decsions and clearly very bored with their desk jobs.
Or perhaps the order is coming from above, directly from the desk of their geriatric leader, whose disdain for new age media (and anything new for that matter) is well documented.
To the FOM bullies we say shame on you as your pettiness knows no bounds – leave the little guys alone and think bigger picture.
In retrospect, maybe this only happens because the majority of the F1 social media crowd don't wear Rolex watches or frequent the Paddock Club?
Whatever the case, these actions described below by a social media using F1 fan – Nicholas Malanga – boggles the mind as the sport continues to alienate aficionados and remain entrenched narrow mindedness.
Hi,
I am I big fan of Formula 1 and like some others, have a Formula 1 based social media account on Instagram (@valtteribottasfanpage).
Well, some not-nice stuff is going on in the F1 community on social media right now, and there could be a story in it. Right now, the FOM (Formula One Management) are currently banning/ deleting any and all accounts with names that include F1, Formula 1, Formula One and Grand Prix(?).
This means that a LOT of accounts are getting deleted just because of their name, and the FOM doesn't even give us a chance to change them; the accounts just disappear. It's really stupid on multiple levels, as it means that all of our hard work into making these accounts stick goes to shit, and it really alienates us fans!
It's like you pour tons of time into them and the sport that you poured that time into deleted your work! It's horrible and a lot of people are mad ATM. There's no real point in it either, all of the accounts deleted show formula 1 in its best light and is pretty much free advertisement for F1 as a business.
This only really started happening a week ago, when one major account disappeared. We assumed he just deleted his account, but then tons more just started disappearing and we figured it out as it was only pages with the names including the copyrighted stuff l said earlier.
The three largest that have disappeared (@f1.images, @racing.moments and @formula1team) had a total of around 230k followers between them those guys have already made new "title-neutral" accounts, but 6 years of combined effort when down the drain, and 15k-110k followers lost!
The FIA and FOM seem like they want to mute us fans. It really angers us, as fans, to be slapped in the face by the sport we love. It really is incredible, there's no other word for it. I think that this could shed some light on the idiotic way that the sport operates and how little they care about the very people that make them rich.
There's already actually been an article about this written online; a friend of mine asked a Spanish journalist to write an article which the journalist did do here>>>
One can only assume that this is happening on other social media platforms as well. Thanks for reading.
If your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google+ and/or Website has been affected let us know and we will highlight the way FOM is shunning F1 fans.
Open letter from @valtteribottasfanpage
Reminds me of what BMW did to sites containing the word 'mini'. BMW was extremely heavy handed, suing everyone with the word 'mini' in their name.
Edit: I forgot the emoticon. 20.gif
Yup, I never understood that.
Mazda embraces it.
Miatanet RX7 Club and various other Mazda model specific forums exist and get this, in some cases, Mazdaspeed sponsors sections.
Mazda not only embraces it, they get it.
Even dooderwear had to stop using the word mini on his shirts cause BMW threatened to sue.
Ford did the same with Mustang as well. It is just incomprehensible that they do not see the marketing it generates. Some bean counter somewhere sees a penny to be lost on the bottom of a spreadsheet...
F1 Bahrain
Nico takes full advantage of the Hamster getting stabbed in turn one by Bottas and makes it 5 in a row, Haas continues to impress and Ferrari's reliability woes continue with Vettel out before the race even starts.
A couple of Rookies have the race of their lives too!
Fun times in F1 4.gif
Kimi especially loves the Rosewater.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/04/03/16/32CDDC7C00000578-0-image-a-186_1459696734614.jpg)
I like you, I wish I could be like you, glass half full and all. 30 seconds separating the top 3 and another 32 second to P4 at the finish made us look down to p7+ for an actual race. I am getting tired of all Mercedes and Ferrari podiums and I am a huge Kimi / Vettel fan.
I was hoping during the first half of the race that Haas would finish higher than 5th, but damn, 5th is good!! I fantasized Romain could get her on the podium, I knew we would need a Mercedes or another Ferrari failure for it to happen but a girl can dream. Haas appears to be the 4th fastest team out there, RBR seems to have just a little more than they do. I am not sure Haas will enjoy this past Montreal.
I also thought Max was going to better Daniel earlier on in the race he still had a great finish splitting the Bulls, it just seemed like he was much faster than Daniel during parts of the race.
I watched on Sky Ports, fed to me through Russia for free. Take that Bernie!! I have to say while slanted towards Lewis, the commentary is much better than the American broadcast and ZERO commercials!!
Not sure how I am going to watch if the race is in the middle of the night, but this is a great alternative to lining Bernies pockets.
OK, how do you watch the race that way?
Amazon firebox with Kodi app installed. It was not an easy install, it took about 30 minutes following a you tube tutorial. It works o.k. I had to switch feeds a couple of times but for free who am I to complain?
I knee our coverage was bad now I realize it is horrible.
Executive Summary compliments of Axis of oversteer.
http://blog.axisofoversteer.com/2016/04/2016-bahrain-gp-executive-summary.html
China.
Two interesting developments, Hamster gets a 5 grid spot penalty for changing his transmichigan after the last race cause they "thought" it might not last this race due to a bearing damaged in the first lap incident with Bottas......after the poor stars he's gotten the last two races, if he has another one this weekend he'll be fighting back from last place again, or at least deep in the field. He's also having some interesting problems staying on track.
Ferrari seem to have the pace again this weekend, but we have seen how MBZ can turn up the wick for qually (I thought they weren't supposed to be able to do that?) I think this could be a breakout race for the Kimster......
Haas is having severe rear brake issues, I'll be surprised if both cars make it to the end of the race.....
Alonso is back on track this weekend, I expect the McHondas to finish in the 10 -12th place area or so.....
China - Qualifying
A fascinating qually session this time - back to the old format - the Hamster has engine problems so he'll start from the back, which will actually make the race more interesting as he charges thru the field. The real surprise wasn't that the Ferrari was challenging for the top spot, but that Ricciardo's Red Bull is right there with them!
Once the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Kimi blew the last few corners of his fast lap and finished third, Rosberg was on top and Ricci racer was in second! It's been a long time since a Red Bull was on the front row and it's clear Renault Tag Heuer has done wonders with their engine compared to last year. On top of that they're supposed to have a substantial bump in power by mid season, point being it might be Red Bull's Ricciardo challenging for the championship too this season. And wouldn't it be fun to see 3 or 4 or even 5 drivers well in contention come the end of the season?
One other interesting point, Rosbug will start on soft tires while everyone else in the top 10 will start on supersofts - opinion is those will only last about 5 laps before they have to be changed while Ross can simply motor on.....the hope is that those on super softs can get the jump on Nico at the start and pull enough lead, but I'm not sure that can happen in such few laps. This also plays into the Hamster's hands as he can even potentially run a 2 or even one stop race.
Missed all the action this weekend. Did catch the Summary on Axis, looked like an exciting race with lots of bedlam.... for everyone but Nico who finished a solid 40 second ahead of Vettel. Which is sobering, I really do not think any team has a chance of catching the Silver Arrows.
Red Bull was very racy this past weekend. They also have an update coming that may give Ferrari a lot of problems.
Daniil vs. Seb vs. Kimi - Looking at the in car and replays, I cannot help but think Kimi messed up on that one. He over cooked the corner worse than Seb and gave him no room, it all happens so fast it is easy to damn one driver when in actuality it was just racing, just sucks when 2 cars from the same team collide.
As usual, summary here:
http://blog.axisofoversteer.com/2016/04/2016-chinese-gp-executive-summary.html
I'll probably be going to the races in Austin this year with the wife.... with rain insurance.
As I said F1 will not get any of my Money until Bernie is gone and they reach out to their fans and make the sport more fan friendly. I am happy stealing my F1, I will not even click on the official F1 website anymore.
F Bernie.
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y219/Jims5543/IMG_20160607_213938_zpshbmw5uqr.jpg) (http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Jims5543/media/IMG_20160607_213938_zpshbmw5uqr.jpg.html)
Lol so true!!!
<br />(http://thumb.ibb.co/bXwwFa/cartoon_20160611_rg.jpg) (http://ibb.co/bXwwFa)<br />
Trying this a different way.
Looking at todays Qualifying results, I am happy. Ferrari are only about tow tenths off Mercedes. Far cry from the beginning of the season when they were over half a second and Vettel conceded he made a decent mistake in Qualifying so they are right there with Mercedes and RBR are right there with Ferrari.
Should be a fun race tomorrow.
The start should be interesting, Vettel has pulled off some rocket starts earlier this season, I hope the Nico vs. Lewis pressure tomorrow causes some opportunity for Seb and Dan to get out in front of them.
I am not sure if I will be around for the race tomorrow, may be on the beach (F you Bernie, I wanted to go to Montreal this year will you die already!!) so I will just check twitter, Axis, GP247 and PF1 tomorrow when I get home.
I am sure it will be a fun race. Ferrari's turbo upgrade and RBR engine upgrades seem to be working.
Well the race could have gone to Vettel, had his strategists been a little smarter.....he sure got a killer start again!
Still it was a fun race, Rosbug's late pass on Verstappen in the last corner was opportunistic to say the least, kudo's to Max for keeping his cool and driving for the finish.
On to the next one.....
I really do not like Hamilton, and after Sunday, this run my team mate off the tack carp is getting old.
I watched about half the race n TV in a Bar, then moved on, was not impressed with Ferraris stupid strategy, stopping 11 laps into the race without need. All they had to do for the entire race was cover Lewis and they had a n easy win, they had the pace to stay in front but not to catch the mercs. Such stupidity.
Unknown track this weekend should be interesting. I am in Orlando for the weekend so I will try to catch the race Sunday morning in the hotel room. I think it starts at 7. So I can at least catch the start. BTW - which sucks because I have grown used to the Sky TV coverage and it is 100X better the NBC is. If I have Univision I may watch that Sunday.
I have to say that this season has been great. The only race I missed was Monaco because it was on regular TV and I did not DVR it. I was wondering how many of you think Bernie had his mother in law kidnapped to distract from his bad management and the race stewards changing, ignoring, screwing with the rules?
Mercedes have won every race except one, and that was only because Lewis and Nico took each other out of the race.
I did not even bother last weekend. I read about it. Sunday evening.
The only thing I find myself rooting for, which sucks, is for the Mercedes guys to take each other out so we can actually enjoy a race where someone else wins.
Glad Max got a win, the kid is good. There are quite a few that are really good on the grind but we will never see them win until someone figures out how to make Mercedes power.
I am hoping after the break someone, be it Ferrari or Red Bull or even Force India, can bring an upgrade to the track that will actually challenge the silver arrows.
It is staggering how dominant the Mercedes is this season and the last two seasons.
This is me this season.
(https://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/babyzone/2013/04/baby-boy-crying-photo-420x420-ts-56570356.jpg)
I'm hoping that Redbull gets that 47 hp bump over the summer break, couple that with the fact that Hammy will be facing grid penalties due to his engine and other parts failure and things could get interesting in the second half - I hope so at least.
I used to be a huge fan of f1, I'd watch it religiously with my dad.
I've stopped because of the domination. It's not like it's the first time it's happened. Red Bull dominated for years, but it's not like Mercedes. With red bull, they didn't seem unstoppable.
It's just boring now, not to mention I dislike Hamilton. And those v6s
Quote from: Vikram on August 02, 2016, 06:38:16 PM
I used to be a huge fan of f1, I'd watch it religiously with my dad.
I've stopped because of the domination. It's not like it's the first time it's happened. Red Bull dominated for years, but it's not like Mercedes. With red bull, they didn't seem unstoppable.
It's just boring now, not to mention I dislike Hamilton. And those v6s
At the end of last season I was discussing on another car forum with friends this domination, and after going back and tallying up, we have not seen domination like this since the Ferrari years.
Long post, I cut and past the findings I came up with on another forum and here it is:
Schumacher years:
1999 Was a Mika year not schumacher but put it here so you can see.
Wins - 9 out of 16 (9/16)
1/2 finishes 3 out of 16 (3/16)
2000
Wins - 9/17
1/2 - 5/17
Rubens had 1 win so 10/18 Ferrari wins
2001
Wins - 9/17
1/2 - 4/17
Rubens had no wins
2002
Wins - 11/17
1/2 - 8/17
Rubens had 4 wins so 15/18 Ferrari wins
2003
Wins - 6/16
1/2 - 0/16
Rubens had 2 wins so 8/18 Ferrari wins
2004
Wins - 13/18
1/2 - 8/18
Rubens had 2 wins so 15/18 Ferrari wins
Vettel Years:
2010
Wins - 5/19
1/2 - 1/19
Mark had 4 wins 9/19 RBR Wins
2011
Wins - 11/19
1/2 - 6/19
Mark had 1 win so 12/19 RBR wins
2012
Wins - 5/20
1/2 - 1/20
Mark Webber had 2 wins so 7/20 for RBR
2013
Wins - 14/19
1/2 - 4/19
Mark had no wins so RBR had 14/19 wins
Hamilton Years
2014
Wins - 11/19
1/2 - 11/19
Notable Rosberg took 5 wins making Mercedes wins 16/19
2015
wins - 10/19
1/2 - 11/19
Notable Rosberg took 6 wins making Mercedes wins 16/19
Looking it over Ferrari had 2 very dominant years, where they won all but 3 races 2002 and 2004.
There was never a season that dominant for RBR the best they did was win all but 5 races in 2013 and Vettel won all of them Mark could not even muster a win nor was he in second much. Car or driver?
Then we have the Mercedes years all but 3 wins 2 seasons in a row and as many or more 1/2 finishes as wins. Predictions are more of the same this year. <--- that was typed before the season began. Looks like we can expect all but one race win goes to Mercedes.
It could go that way but like I wrote - the combination of Red Bull getting a substantial power bump and Hammy getting some grid spot penalties means we could see some interesting fights in the second part of the season.
Remember how they used to do it? On team member would be the rabbit, the second would hold everyone else up so the rabbit could build a lead? used to be common as heck in the past when there was a clear #1 and #2 driver.
Quote from: MiniDave on August 03, 2016, 08:07:43 AM
It could go that way but like I wrote - the combination of Red Bull getting a substantial power bump and Hammy getting some grid spot penalties means we could see some interesting fights in the second part of the season.
Remember how they used to do it? On team member would be the rabbit, the second would hold everyone else up so the rabbit could build a lead? used to be common as heck in the past when there was a clear #1 and #2 driver.
Yes, Fishi did it for Alonso a lot as did Massa and Barachello for Schumacher. Weber could never get far enough up the grid to help Vettel, and when he did there was usually a spat between them. Mark was a hardly an ideal #2 driver.
The interesting thing with Mercedes is they are letting the 2 fight it out.
I also do not think Red Bull, even with another power bump will really be able to attack Mercedes. Lewis told a sobering story of his day this past Sunday in an interview, he said he TURNED DOWN his engine for most of the race until they said Hammer time, then he turned it up, opened up an comfortable gap and then turned it back down. That is not good news, as they seem to have plenty in reserve.
I hope Red Bull can challenge I really do I love the Honey Badger and Mad Max, I think they are a lethal combo, and I have always been a Ferrari fan so I would love to see either of those two teams or even Haas (LOL) get up on the top step this season.
The realist in me thinks that is a pipe dream.
Todays race was great. So much stuff going on and lots of battles late in the race. Someones got to say it, GO HAAS!
Mad Max has been the best #2 driver Dan Ric could ever dream for. I tuned into the Sky broadcast on Kodi about 1/2 way into the race and could not understand how the Ferraris were so car back, Max was even further back and Alonso was running 5th!!!
Then I watched the recap at the end of the race and it was all clear, Max made a Kamikaze (I am sure some will disagree) move on the 1st turn , over cooked left no room for anyone including himself and caused a Ferrari nightmare.
Amazing that Hamilton could hit the podium from dead last, Max and Magnussen helped that a lot, and remarkable that Nico was able to walk away like his did, I really had hoped the rest had finally caught up and they only have in qualifying not in the race. The fact that Nico was so far in front and Hamilton could get to 3rd is a testimony as to how damn fast the Mercs are.
The green room was interesting not sure NBC shows that, Sky shows it in its entirety, a lot of bad blood between Nico and Lewis, you can see the tension while they are waiting to go out on the podium.
Weber drinking from the shoe is the highlight all weekend for me.
Kimi is not too pleased with Mad Max, and rightfully so, he is making some dangerous moves, he keeps overshooting corners and pushing people off track, ironically Nico was crucified for doing the same, Max seems to get a pass.
Love we have another race next holiday weekend and its Monza!!
The troll is finally leaving????
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2017/01/18/bernieecclestone-eased-aside-liberty-head-f1-ownership/
I haven't watched Formula un for many years, but I have to see this as a good thing. Maybe CVC should have asserted themselves and taken some control away from Bernie sooner. I hope that Liberty simplifies the game and makes it more interesting. I wonder, though, how would a race in LA be received by the environmentalists...
I hope the racing becomes more competitive and less political; maybe I'd watch one on occasion.
Quote from: MiniDave on January 18, 2017, 06:50:14 PM
The troll is finally leaving????
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2017/01/18/bernieecclestone-eased-aside-liberty-head-f1-ownership/
Can it really be true? I've only been waiting for Bernie to hit the highway for about 25 years now.
I won't miss him one bit.
This just in.......
Maldonado is in talks with KV Racing to drive an Indy car next season........lookout walls!
And it's over......the troll is out!
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ecclestone-confirms-chase-carey-has-replaced-him-as-ceo-of-f1-868019/ (http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ecclestone-confirms-chase-carey-has-replaced-him-as-ceo-of-f1-868019/)
Quote from: MiniDave on January 23, 2017, 01:55:15 PM
And it's over......the troll is out!
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ecclestone-confirms-chase-carey-has-replaced-him-as-ceo-of-f1-868019/ (http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ecclestone-confirms-chase-carey-has-replaced-him-as-ceo-of-f1-868019/)
Happy Day!
I actually discussed Bernie with John Cooper one time and how he was not exactly popular with F1 fans. Cooper did not really understand it. Even though he was decades out of F1 by that time, I think he was still too close to see things from a US fan's perspective. I guess some people liked him. I'm not one of them.
Some more good news.....
By Tony DiZinno | Jan 23, 2017
Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches have been confirmed to key roles within Formula 1's new leadership structure under new chairman/CEO Chase Carey.
Brawn, whose team won the 2009 World Championship with Jenson Button before laying the groundwork for Mercedes' recent run of form, and who achieved a wealth of success with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, has been installed as Managing Director, Motor Sports. Bratches, a former ESPN executive, will be Managing Director, Commercial Operations. It's an undoubted key role in Brawn's 40-year career.
Carey's latter role was confirmed today as part of Liberty Media Corporation's completed acquisition of the sport, which sees Bernie Ecclestone removed as CEO.
"I am delighted to welcome Ross back to Formula 1. In his 40 years in the sport, he's brought his magic touch to every team with which he has worked, has almost unparalleled technical knowledge, experience and relationships, and I have already benefitted greatly from his advice and expertise," Carey said in a release.
"I am thrilled Sean is joining Formula 1. Sean was a driving force in building ESPN into one of the world's leading sports franchises. His expertise and experience in sales, marketing, digital media, and distribution will be invaluable as we grow Formula 1.
"I look forward to working with Ross and Sean, as well as key current executives including Duncan Llowarch, our CFO, and Sacha Woodward Hill, our General Counsel, the FIA, Bernie and Liberty as we work together to make Formula 1 the best it can be for the teams, promoters and fans for years to come."
The Brawn appointment sees him back in the sport several years after the end of his time with Mercedes, and not long after the release of his new book. He's been consulting to Liberty Media for several months.
"It's fantastic to be returning to the world of Formula 1," Brawn said. "I've enjoyed consulting with Liberty Media these last few months and I'm looking forward to working with Chase, Sean and the rest of the Formula 1 Team to help the evolution of the sport. We have an almost unprecedented opportunity to work together with the teams and promoters for a better F1 for them and, most importantly, for the fans."
Bratches has more than 27 years experience and at ESPN, most recently served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
"I'm very excited to be joining Formula 1 and contribute to the continued growth of this extraordinary global brand and sport," Bratches said. "Formula 1 is one of few truly global tier one sports, and I am encouraged by the manifold opportunities to materially grow the business, work closely with current and future sponsors, race circuits, television rights holders as well as create next generation digital and on-site race experiences to best serve the Formula 1 fans."
Bernie once said that Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.. did not interest him, people that use social media are poor and poor people are not who he wants for F1 fans, he wants Rolex wearing Ferrari driving fans.
It has not been vary long that F1 broadcasts were in HD, maybe 5 years? Everyone else had gone to HD and F1 was still in a 90's analog type of broadcast.
F1 is at least a decade behind NASCAR as far as coverage technology goes. What I see on NASCAR coverage is remarkable, how you can subscribe to channels as a fan and watch in car for a certain driver the entire race if you want.
F1 in the USA has a lot of ground to cover if they want fans.
If what I saw in Miami over the weekend is any indication of fan interest in anything other than NASCAR and Indy car they have a long uphill battle.
I know my F1 spending ban is now over, I am toying with a Austin 2017 trip.
Bottas signs his contract at Mercedes.....
(http://sniffpetrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/BottasMercContract.jpg)
Testing for the 2017 season has begun, F1 has stated that this years rule changes should make the cars 5 sec a lap faster than last, so far Mercedes (who is creeping up on 1000hp now!) is just over 4 sec faster than their pole time last year at Barcelona.
However, most pundits are saying that due to the aero changes it will be almost impossible to pass the car in front of you, as the disturbance of the airflow from the car in front washes away all front end downforce of the car behind....IOW, no grip for the following car means they can't try any banzai moves.......this year could simple be one procession after another - all season.
So far in 2 days of testing Mercedes is fastest followed by the Ferrari and the Reds Bull.....Haas is showing solid mid field speed along with Force India, McLaren is slow and has replaced two engines already, Renault hasn't shown any real speed and Toro Rosso has already replaced one of their new Renault engines........shades of the 2016 season.
I don't give a hoot about laps times compared to last year.
What I do care about is that the 2017 F1 racecars are FINALLY back to sounding like racecars!!! Have you heard them? They SHRIEK again!! It is a joyous sound.
....and that's fine, but if it's just a procession, it's not much of a race - which is what I watch F1 to see - a race!
Wonder what's different that they're now so much louder and higher pitched? Did they relax the fuel usage flow requirement or the total amount used per race?
They've said all along they could get huge HP from these engines, but they short shift and run low RPMs to conserve fuel to meet the requirements in the sporting regs....
Edit: I just watched a vid on F1.com, they didn't really sound any different than last year's cars to me......
Nascar seems to fight the aerowash issue every couple of years.
I agree, who cares how fast they go down the straight or lap times if it's just a parade because the air disturbance completely eliminates passing. Do whatever needs to be done to eliminate the aero issue and put it back in the drivers hands.
Really only enjoy F1 in the rain cause it eliminates the car and puts it back into the drivers hands.
Quote from: MiniDave on February 28, 2017, 11:02:51 AM
Edit: I just watched a vid on F1.com, they didn't really sound any different than last year's cars to me......
Maybe it's just wishful thinking (or listening) on my part, but the engines seem to sound better than last year. Perhaps it's because all of the video I've heard is just a single racecar on the track at one time?