Formula One 2019

[samoht]

With the close of the 2018 season and all next year's drivers practically confirmed, I think a new thread is in order.

The Contenders:
(movers in italics, newcomers to F1 underlined)

Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton / Valtteri Bottas
Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel / Charles Leclerc
Red Bull Honda: Max Verstappen / Pierre Gasly
Renault: Nico Hulkenberg / Daniel Ricciardo
Haas Ferrari: Romain Grosjean / Kevin Magnussen
McLaren Renault: Carlos Sainz / Lando Norris
Force India Mercedes: Sergio Perez / Lance Stroll*
Toro Rosso Honda: Daniil Kvyat / Alexander Albon
Sauber Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen / Antonio Giovinazzi
Williams Mercedes: George Russell / Robert Kubica

* presumed

The Dates:


Date Grand Prix Venue
==== ========== =====
17th March Australia Melbourne
31st March Bahrain Sakhir
14th April China Shanghai
28th April Azerbaijan Baku
12th May Spain Barcelona
26th May Monaco Monaco
9th June Canada Montreal
23rd June France Le Castellet
30th June Austria Spielberg
14th July Great Britain Silverstone
28th July Germany Hockenheim
4th August Hungary Budapest
1st September Belgium Spa
8th September Italy Monza
22nd September Singapore Singapore
29th September Russia Sochi
13th October Japan Suzuka
27th October Mexico Mexico City
3rd November USA Austin
17th November Brazil Sao Paulo
1st December Abu Dhabi Yas Marina

Predictions? Hopes and fears?

[samoht]

Okay, my Predictions:

Overall I think the shape of F1 will look similar to this year; Merc and Ferrari will compete for the championships, Red Bull will compete for the odd race win, especially later in the year, while everyone else will finish a lap down.

Starting from the back, I expect to find Williams and McLaren. Williams won’t find it easy to make a massive leap forwards in aerodynamics, and with engine performance becoming gradually more equal, I still expect them to bring up the rear. Having said that, I presume that they will improve over this year, and by no longer being saddled with the pay driver’s pay driver, at least the human element should be performing a bit better.

Over at McLaren, for the first time in decades they start the year without a top-line driver. The absolute best-possible outcome is that Lando Norris turns out to be the next Lewis Hamilton, i.e. capable of matching the speed of the mighty Alonso in his first year in F1. In this highly unlikely, best-case scenario the team will be able to lose only one position in the standings (since Force India are unlikely to go bust again). If he is anything less than this, they’re going to be fighting it out with Williams.

Ahead of these two sorry stories I would imagine we’ll find Toro Rosso, again mirroring their big brother team by being in the no-man’s land between the midfield and the truly hopeless. The Honda engine should be coming on well towards the end of the year, though.

The next four teams form, in my view, the true midfield, and are where the most interesting, competitive and combative racing tends to be found. In 2019 the midfield race will be spiced up with two established stars, Ricciardo and Raikkonen, joining in and lifting Renault and Sauber respectively. It would be no surprise if Renault and Ricciardo pull out a clear ‘best of the rest’ status over the season, as their budget and manufacturer status would suggest. Both Sauber and Haas are likely to benefit from the trickle-down effect from a now-competitive parent team. Force India will probably find that not going bust mid-season is conducive to building a fast car, which should be put to good use by Sergio Perez at least. I’d tentatively order these as Renault, Force India, Haas, Sauber, although this is probably the hardest part of the field to call. In terms of drivers, I expect Ricciardo, Raikkonen and Perez to handily beat their team-mates, while Haas’ pairing will continue to be quite closely matched.

Red Bull will repeat their usual pattern of starting off the pace and catching up during the year, competing for races but not titles, given that Honda aren’t even claiming they will be on-par at the start of 2019, but I back them to out-develop Renault, power-wise, over the next year or three.

I have no idea which of Mercedes or Ferrari will come out on top in car terms; either could turn up at Melbourne with a clear advantage, which could easily set the pattern for the year. In 12 months will we be talking about a surprise WDC for rookie Charles Leclerc? Vettel’s Fangio-equalling fifth championship? Or marvelling/moaning about Hamilton’s continued dominance? Any of these three outcomes seem possible, either of the latter two would be fairly unsurprising to me. If pushed, I’d predict another Hamilton victory, but a close one with Vettel and Leclerc both claiming wins along the way.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I wonder if Ferrari will implode like Mclaren did with Alonso and Hamilton... I can’t imagine Vettel taking it well if Leclerc push him too hard and refusing to be #2...

If Honda can up its power and reliability more, at least more than current Renault PU, it looks like Max could regularly challenge for wins... , but I wonder how will they call themselves. Aston Martin Red Bull Honda Racing? Or will Honda agree to remain nameless like Renault?

[dodint]

This was the least engaging F1 seasons in a while, next year projects to be more of the same. Will tune in to see Bob a bit.

[samoht]

I wonder if Ferrari will implode like Mclaren did with Alonso and Hamilton... I can’t imagine Vettel taking it well if Leclerc push him too hard and refusing to be #2...

The possibility has occurred to me. So far Leclerc has seemed to show respect to his seniors rather than challenge them too hard, although that could change.


If Honda can up its power and reliability more, at least more than current Renault PU, it looks like Max could regularly challenge for wins...
I do see Honda outpacing Renault over time, but I don't see them turning up in Australia with Merc- or Ferrari-matching power and reliability, so they won't be in contention for the title next year I don't think - by the time they're competitive they'll have lost too much ground. Possibly 2020 or 2021 I could see Max in an RB-Honda challenging for the title.

[The359]

Racing Force has already stated the Force India name will not be used in 2019, they just haven't announced what the new name will be yet. They simply retained the Force India name last season because it was required of them.

[balki]

four races in September, eh? :up:

Predict Mercedes wins the Constructors' yet again (best driver line-up), but Vettel and Max finish much closer to Hamilton, all scoring 300-something points (maybe Max ahead of Vettel).
Red Bull will still finish third and be much closer to the top two (reliability issues much more so than pace).

Renault will still finish fourth, but about half of the 500 point deficit to the top team
Force India will still finish fifth (they scored 11 points less than Renault over the 21 races in 2018), but will be further behind despite a better car.
Sauber will continue to improve and finish 6th
Haas in lonely 7th
bit of a gap to McLaren, Williams and STR (in that order with about 100 points between the three teams combined)

Overall the new front wing will mix things up much more than my predictions (1-5 are unchanged)
Inter-team gaps will be closer for teams 1-7 but more large intra-team gaps (Kubica, Max, Kimi, and maybe Kvyat and Vettel all grossly outscoring their teammates).

[JoeW]

If the wing changes really do make a difference then look to the young aggressive drivers to make waves next year.

[Freude am Fahren]

Interesting, Austin has moved back, after Mexico. Could be a good thing, with a bit cooler temps, and I think the rainy season ends in October? More of a chance of a championship decider too.

[Blerpa]

"Renault Sport Formula One Team" has been renamed "Renault F1 Team" and its logo has been changed a bit.
Nicholas Latifi will be Williams F1 new reserve driver. He will have six Free Practice 1 sessions to drive.
Mclaren will field a Chevrolet-powered car for Fernando Alonso to race in the 2019 Indianapolis 500.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Really, Honda hates Alonso that much now?

[SkylineObsession]

DON'T CARE, NZ NOT IN F1 ANYMORE!!!!!




;) :P

[Rare White Ape]

At least you still have McLaren.

[JoeW]

Quit yer bitchin...when was the last time USA had a legit driver in F1?

[Crazed_Insanity]

You forgot about super Mario?

[balki]

legit American-born?
Phil Hill

[Godson]

Scott speed ....



Haas needs to dump Grojsean.

[dodint]

We said legit, T.

;)

[JoeW]

So it’s been a really long time is all I’m saying :)

[Godson]

We said legit, T.

;)


I know, I merely chose to ignore that qualifier.

;)

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtvDKuiXQAExm6j.jpg

#F1:Size difference between a 2007 spec car and a 2019 spec car plus an included bonus image https://ift.tt/2G1wzf7

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dt0EvUMW0AAe0hj.jpg

#F1:Follow-up on my post yesterday with two additional cars. Really puts the changes through the years in perspective! (https://twitter.com/theJudge13Twts/status/1071017497745346561)

https://ift.tt/2Ei9cwk

[Crazed_Insanity]

Holy cow, had not realized how much f1 cars have grown over the years... even just from 10 years ago!

Cars in early 90’s were the widest still. Wonder why they’ve narrowed it over the years...

Cool images! :up:

[Crazed_Insanity]

Cars in early 90’s were the widest still. Wonder why they’ve narrowed it over the years...



After looking at the pictures some more, I think I can answer my own question now...

My guess for the narrower modern cars is probably because the shorter front suspension arms and the longer nose will significantly reduce another Senna like accidents...

Can anyone confirm if I’m right? ;)

[FaultyMario]

Don't 2019 cars go on 18" rims?

[FaultyMario]

Also, they changed nose cone / front wing regulations and they weren't able to remove the unsightly "penis"?

[Rare White Ape]

After looking at the pictures some more, I think I can answer my own question now...

My guess for the narrower modern cars is probably because the shorter front suspension arms and the longer nose will significantly reduce another Senna like accidents...

Can anyone confirm if I’m right? ;)

Nope. Cars were made narrower in 1998 to promote passing. They’ve widened since then, but are still narrower than their peak width.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Well, for sure that hasn’t helped much with passing! :p

[Rare White Ape]

Hmmmm.

That year is also the year that they introduced grooved tyres, so on the one hand they try to make them easier to race side-by-side, but on the other they take lateral grip away.

Real smart.

But think about it. Formula 1 has never had spectacular battles, at least since I was a kid. There might have been one or two significant passes per race, but nothing like having amazing race-long battles between a number of cars. Now, F1 did go through a period of reduced passing, caused by aerodynamic and horsepower advantages that spread the field between the haves and have-nots, while the late 90s was the peak of Champ Car’s popularity. I fully believe that these rule changes were a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to dwindling viewership caused by boring races, but they were a step in the wrong direction.

Thankfully in recent years they’ve pulled it back the other way, with larger, simpler wings and wider cars with big fat slick tyres. Instead of trying to slow the cars down they’re letting them go faster but encouraging battles by having more grip and less aero sensitivity. The races are slightly more exciting so they’re on the right track.

[Alan P]

Constructive critique please.

Liberty Media's plans to show live betting odds in F1 Broadcasts now looking like a rank outsider.

In what wasn't exactly huge news at the time, Liberty Media announced a partnership with Marketing agency Interregional Sports Group (ISG) on Tuesday 18th September tasking ISG to find deals with Betting companies on a local or global basis to potentially show live betting odds on TV broadcasts. This also involved an upfront payment from ISG to Liberty Media of $100m for a five year agreement. Not exactly small change.

At the time this didn't really go over all that well but was more or less forgotten about as the season came to a climax. What form this deal will take to viewers on screen, the majority of which take the FOM 'World Feed' and overlay either their own commentary and presenters or simply use the Sky Sports feed as FOM does for F1TV or previously the Channel 4 commentary feed isn't yet known, but could involve sporting odds from online bookmakers being shown on the screen before or during the race. Seeing 'Hamilton 1/6 to get on the podium' having started last due to a MGU-H failure in qualifying could potentially be a common sight if Liberty and ISG manage to sell it well enough. This could also be shown as 'virtual' signage around the tracks with Live Odds or plain Gambling Ads such as the 'Well done Baku!' Virtual signage that has already been seen on TV. So what's the point in the article then if this has already been reported on?

Well, at the beginning of December this year Gambling firms in the UK voluntarily agreed (or 'if you don't make the decision yourself we'll make it for you' said the UK Government) to stop advertising gambling on live sporting events and while this was originally reported on as 'whistle to whistle' due to the proliferation of gambling adverts during live football games, especially at half time, what has actually been agreed is no adverts during ALL live sporting events with the exception of Horse Racing which needs gambling to survive. This covers pretty much every live sport event shown on TV and while the English Premier League is by far the most popular for gambling advertising this will also mean no Gambling ads during F1 races for the 'flag to flag' period, that is the start of the formation lap to the chequered flag being shown.

At the moment gambling firms advertise heavily during live football events and also sponsor football clubs around the world with even some foreign firms being shirt sponsors for English Premier League teams despite having no UK based operations, such is the popularity of the EPL abroad. 60% of Football clubs in the top two English Divisions have shirts sponsored by Gambling companies and most teams have marketing agreements with a Gambling company of some sort. F1 is one of the most watched, regularly occuring sporting events globally so you can see how Gambling companies would be interested in advertising on one platform but reaching around the world to potentially 100's of millions of people.

F1 currently doesn't have any major deals, either by the teams, Liberty (nothing has been announced as yet with any gambling company as part of the ISG deal), FOM or the FIA themselves at the moment as Bernie Ecclestone always thought that it could damage the F1 brand but it appears Liberty Media have no such objections. Of course now that betting has effectively been 'banned' in the UK, Sky's primary audience and the only place to watch live Formula 1 in the UK from 2019 to 2024 I honestly cannot see Liberty's plans for live betting odds on screen getting any traction and, in all honesty it's likely to be a non-runner.

How Liberty plan to get round this effective ban, if they can, will certainly be interesting to see but as I really cannot see the World Feed by FOM being allowed to show gambling adverts and odds on screen and most TV stations are contractually obliged to show the World Feed without cutting away or showing their own coverage this is starting to sound like an absolute non-starter. In fact when Sky first signed up with FOM when it was still Ecclestone's baby they were the first TV company that were allowed their own cameras at Grands Prix and were able to cut away to their own camera shots rather than blindly following the whims of the FOM producer. I'm sure that individual feeds with Gambling adverts could be added after commentary and before broadcast to individual countries but this would likely be limited to a few dozen countries at most and if Liberty Media aren't careful they could easily get into trouble as Gambling advertising is banned in some countries that broadcast F1.

[FaultyMario]

I hate sports gambling, that is all.

[JoeW]

Word

[Rare White Ape]

The only reason some sports exist is thanks to the gambling industry. I’m talking horse racing and greyhounds. They race every day of the week!

If you boil it down it’s essentially the abuse and mis-treatment of live animals perpetuated by the profiteering off of problem gambling addicts.

If sports gambling was curtailed that horror would end pretty much overnight. Yet, $$$ rules.

Other sports such as football, etc, would still carry on thanks to their intrinsic popularity.

[FaultyMario]

I hate that our consumption-driven society is okay with profiteering.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I don’t think most people are okay with profiteering, not even your average capitalist. Wall Street bankers or mafia loan sharks are probably more okay with it...

Wonder how long will they eventually ban sports that rely on gambling...

[FaultyMario]

I don’t think most people are okay with profiteering, not even your average capitalist.

https://hips.hearstapps.com/cosmouk.cdnds.net/15/22/980x489/gallery_nrm_1432641021-kendall-jenner-lewis-hamilton.jpg

Things are the way they are, not the way we want them to be.

[FaultyMario]

Oh, I love Lewis' left hand move, btw.

[Blerpa]

I hate sports gambling, that is all.

This.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Oh, I love Lewis' left hand move, btw.

I can’t tell what he’s doing in that pic...

[FaultyMario]

They're in the garage and he is holding what appears to be a data cable out of the way so that it doesn't block one of the ladies' faces.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Anyway, are you saying Lewis is a profiteer? Sorry I don't quite understand the meaning of that picture.

[Alan P]

So has anyone got any points about the article rather than the subject? :)

[FaultyMario]

I was going to ask what article as I didn't see the hyperlink I was expecting to find.

So there, that piece is so well written it became invisible. I have nothing further to add, except that Liberty has shown a worse side than Bernie on some things; for example getting rid of the timing app, which along with both the "possibility of a pass" and betting odds graphics signal a crazy mixture of trying to appeal to a wider audience and trying to fix that which isn't broken.

[samoht]

So has anyone got any points about the article rather than the subject? :)

I think your article makes a good point, and is mostly very readable, I like the conversational tone.

In terms of nit-picking:

The second and third paragraphs start with very long sentences, which are a bit hard to read - I'd probably recommend splitting them up for clarity.

There are quite a few words that are capitalized, which wouldn't usually be, (Marketing agency, Betting companies, Live Odds, Gambling Ads, Virtual signage, etc) - I find this slightly confusing as a reader as I wonder if they're referring to specific companies or what-have-you.

'Occurring' should have two 'r's


In terms of the conclusion, and this is a matter of opinion, to me it's a bit of a strong statement to call the live odds plan a non-runner. I think it's a very good point that there are multiple countries it won't be allowed in, and that therefore (a) they'll need a technical solution that allows them to only have it appear in selected countries, and (b) they won't make as much money as if it was shown globally. However, without more research I imagine that most EU countries and the US will permit it (?), and that would make it worth doing on a country-by-country basis.

[Alan P]

I think your article makes a good point, and is mostly very readable, I like the conversational tone.

In terms of nit-picking:

The second and third paragraphs start with very long sentences, which are a bit hard to read - I'd probably recommend splitting them up for clarity.

There are quite a few words that are capitalized, which wouldn't usually be, (Marketing agency, Betting companies, Live Odds, Gambling Ads, Virtual signage, etc) - I find this slightly confusing as a reader as I wonder if they're referring to specific companies or what-have-you.

'Occurring' should have two 'r's


In terms of the conclusion, and this is a matter of opinion, to me it's a bit of a strong statement to call the live odds plan a non-runner. I think it's a very good point that there are multiple countries it won't be allowed in, and that therefore (a) they'll need a technical solution that allows them to only have it appear in selected countries, and (b) they won't make as much money as if it was shown globally. However, without more research I imagine that most EU countries and the US will permit it (?), and that would make it worth doing on a country-by-country basis.

Thank you. I've made some changes and sent it off for publication on grandprix247.com

[Crazed_Insanity]

Oh, you wrote the article and wanted some constructive criticisms! I totally missed that... I thought you just copied and pasted from somewhere...

I was like... we don’t like gambling and that’s that... what else do you want us to say? :p

[Rare White Ape]

I hate that our consumption-driven society is okay with profiteering.

Eh. People have gotta eat. Nobody in the world will do what they love full time if it doesn’t pay the bills.

In general, it’s ok.

But when the welfare of living animals is at stake it can go blow a goat.

[Crazed_Insanity]

There are people who slaughter chickens, pigs, cows for fair amount of profit..., I think most are fine with that.

As for profiteering, that’s making excessive obscene amount the profits... as loan sharks or just ripping people off in black markets... even when no animals involved, I’m sure most are not okay with that.

Anyway, current f1 business model is probably already hovering very closely between the fine line of making profit and profiteering...

[dodint]

The head of the ACI has revealed they want to reconfigure Monza in time for the track's centenary in 2022:

- Removal of the Variante della Roggia (2nd chicane), making a flat out blast from the first chicane (Rettifilo), through Curva Grande all the way to the first Lesmo;
- Increasing the radius of the second Lesmo to make it a faster corner, increasing speeds into the Ascari Chicane;
- Reprofiling of the old banking to bring it back into use and potentially create a 10km circuit (likely for sports car/GT racing, not F1).

They want to make Monza faster. k.

[Freude am Fahren]

I'm down.

[dodint]

It's already basically a NASCAR track, go for it I say.

[Crazed_Insanity]

ACI represents the interests of the drivers I assume? Or at least Italian drivers? ;)

Personally I'd rather they leave classic tracks alone unless it's for safety reasons...

If you want a fast oval track, why not build a new track? Or come to America more! :p

[FaultyMario]

I say nay.

2nd lesmo still has gravel. Make it faster and FIM will ask for the run off to be paved, motorcycles race Monza.

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, I like the Lesmos as they are. Great corners still. Leave them be. Just change the second chicane to a kink/sweep.

[Rare White Ape]

A stiffy grew in my pants the instant I read the news that they’re making Monza faster.

I’m so ready for this.

[Blerpa]

ACI is italian "Automobil Club" - it is an association involved in motorracing and insurance related matters. Monza had an oval already in its glorious past.
Also it had a very lenghty version which mixed the classic GP track and the oval.
Only WSBK runs in Monza (out of all the major motorbike series), so if FIA and ACI agree on the proposal that sunday club racing series can't do shit about it.
Bring it on.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Just checked on wiki, that oval banking had its last race in 1969!!!

No wonder I don't remember any of that! :p

[Rare White Ape]

One of the racing sims, pretty sure it’s Project Cars 2, features the classic Monza circuit.

Edit: and it features heavily in the classic racing film Grand Prix, starring James Garner.

It was a pretty insane track.

[dodint]

Yeah, I know it best from Grand Prix.

[Freude am Fahren]

And GT Legends.

[The359]

It is in Assetto Corsa, both in the combined oval/road course layout and just the road course layout.

[FaultyMario]

Mr. Horner is already complaining that the 2019 front wing regulations are going to be costly.

I guess the subtext is that it's going to be another 2017 for them. Got the chassis/suspension right but the aero wrong and thus they have to spend enormous resources to get it to work with the rest of the car. Entertaining.

Second guess: Renault, who have a mediocre enginge for qualifying, are going to benefit from the (further) clampdown on oil burning that is expected to knock a few ponies off the Q3 mode that Mercedes and Ferrari have been enjoying. They'll still retain their advantage but I expect Renault to regularly beat Haas for grid position, and if Red Bull are bad in the first flyaway races (Melbourne to Baku) we might as well have a fight for third place in the WCC.

Not really a guess, but McLaren should remain in the shitter. I think that finally James Key has been given the go ahead to join them, but his contribution won't be significant before the Belgian GP. Speaking of him, I think his reason for leaving Torro Rosso (:P) was Honda. AFAIK, STR where not allowed to make any tweaks to the chassis, because the tweaks were being made to the engine, and Honda required a stable platform against which to check their progress; RBR obviously have priority over there and TR will remain a test bed for the Honda engine until RBR are fighting for wins, which could take some time. That was a proposition that maybe a junior engineer would accept but not someone who is supposed to be a leading innovator.

[Godson]

It's sad to me that Haas has become the redheaded stepchild of Ferrari now.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Not really a guess, but McLaren should remain in the shitter. I think that finally James Key has been given the go ahead to join them, but his contribution won't be significant before the Belgian GP. Speaking of him, I think his reason for leaving Torro Rosso (:P) was Honda. AFAIK, STR where not allowed to make any tweaks to the chassis, because the tweaks were being made to the engine, and Honda required a stable platform against which to check their progress; RBR obviously have priority over there and TR will remain a test bed for the Honda engine until RBR are fighting for wins, which could take some time. That was a proposition that maybe a junior engineer would accept but not someone who is supposed to be a leading innovator.

That makes no sense. Can TR run last year's chassis? Most likely not, right? So if TR's new front wing didn't turn out to work as well as expected, they won't be allowed to try to fix it?

And even with such a stable testbed, how can they tell Honda tweaks are working hopping from track to track? Maybe your chassis is good a one track... Honda would end up believing their engine tweaks worked... and if the chassis isn't suited for another track... Honda would end up believing the engine tweak didn't work?

Anyway, I suppose I don't need to understand as long as it makes sense to them.

[FaultyMario]

Front wing is not party of the chassis.

I understand chassis as everything between the front suspension assembly and the gearbox.

That excludes: frontal structures, floor, engine cover and other upper surfaces, tuning vanes, etc.

Now, progress along the season comes from the interplay of all those and other components. Now, imagine that your rear package update is projected to give you 10% more cornering speed but it requires a different chassis geometry than what you have now, and you have experimental components that could achieve that in exchange for different vibration dampening... you could go that route if your engine partner wasn't interested in trying all the different configurations that would benefit them.

In short, Toro Rosso will have tight restrictions on some basic interoperable componentry on their end.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Floor’s not even part of the chassis? Anyway, so can they run the same chassis from last year? Length has changed, right? Or is it all mostly aero changes?

[FaultyMario]

Can they run the same chassis from last year?

I think the one main pillar of F1 is that each team has to race a unique car every year.

The last time that rule would have been given an exemption was when Manor F1 petitioned to start 2015 racing the 2014 Marussia car, something that was ultimately denied by the Strategy Group due to the new owners not providing clear information on how the team would function if the request was granted.

[Godson]

So, anyone else hear Arrivabene is out?

[FaultyMario]

I read plans were under review. As in 'very likely' but not yet final.

[FaultyMario]

Likeable chap. Not very friendly to the media (mostly Sky who are oh so vocal about it), but he seemed to be in good contact with everyone. I liked that he was an administrator type because quite frankly I don't see how an engineer type (the rumored shoe-in Mattia Binotto) could have made it better.


If the change is indeed confirmed, I, for one, will miss our Sartorial Overlord.

3168

[FaultyMario]

Oh, and in case anybody was wondering. Niki Lauda is in the ICU in Vienna, he contracted an influenza virus during his post-transplant period. If you didn't know, back in August he had to have a double lung transplant after life-threatening "severe lung disease".

[Blerpa]

Uh? It is official, Arrivabene is out, Binotto in, no Team Principal anymore, Ferrari is restructuring to be working in the same way as the Mercedes F1 team.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Ferrari's failure last season was mostly due to driver. Should've sent Vettel to Sauber and leave well enough alone...

Anyway, Binotto will still have to deal with the possible fallout of Vettel and Leclerc clash... will be interesting to see if he'll be hero or zero.

[Blerpa]

My bad, Binotto is Ferrari new team principal, as well as Technical Director. Still the Mercedes-like renovation plan is in motion.

[Godson]

I really liked Arrivabene, he brought passion back to Ferrari.

[Blerpa]

Let's be clear, I think some Ferrari internal politics do not come out easily abroad: Marchionne already wanted Arrivabene out before he died.
Arrivabene blamed the builders at home at Ferrari for the car underperforming while they knew the car was actually good and it was deemed a bad team principal (Monza 2018 without team orders for Kimi, for example) not able to read the races and to handle Vettel. Binotto was always Marchionne's choice. This is NOT shocking: no one at Maranello wanted Arrivabene anymore.
He is weak, a hollow talker and not sharp enough when having to take quick decisions. Good riddance. And I don't even have an horse in this race.

[JoeW]

I’m trying to recall any moments where Ferrari actually outsmarted their rivals with a really awesome pit strategy decision in a race. There probably was a moment or two but RB or Merc seemed to have the most instances where you applauded a great pit strategy decision made mid race.

[FaultyMario]

I’m trying to recall any moments where Ferrari actually outsmarted their rivals with a really awesome pit strategy decision in a race. There probably was a moment or two but RB or Merc seemed to have the most instances where you applauded a great pit strategy decision made mid race.

IMHO that's down more to the control center operations, which RBR pioneered and Ze Germans being Ze Germans got on top of. I think Haas and Team Silverstone (or Team TBA, as it's not going to be Racing Point and certainly not Force India anymore) have smaller but good probability analysis teams.

You know, STR and Williams just helplessly suck at it, but in the case of Williams, they've become super consistent with their pitstops. So i don't think it's one of those things for which the team principal can be held accountable, more like how good that particular department is.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I really liked Arrivabene, he brought passion back to Ferrari.
As an outsider, that was totally how I felt. Had no idea there was that much politics internally.

[JoeW]

IMHO that's down more to the control center operations, which RBR pioneered and Ze Germans being Ze Germans got on top of. I think Haas and Team Silverstone (or Team TBA, as it's not going to be Racing Point and certainly not Force India anymore) have smaller but good probability analysis teams.

You know, STR and Williams just helplessly suck at it, but in the case of Williams, they've become super consistent with their pitstops. So i don't think it's one of those things for which the team principal can be held accountable, more like how good that particular department is.

Yeah I didn't know who made the calls mid race...but it seemed like Ferrari didn't get it right very often on those last minute decisions. I guess in the end it all reflects on the principal in some way ;)

[Crazed_Insanity]

Anyway, we'll see if Ferrari made the right call during this winter break pit stop.

[Godson]

Interesting. I figured the pit strategy was handled by the strategists...

[Godson]

...I don't even have an horse in this race.

I see what you did there...

[FaultyMario]

Zak "The Mouth" Brown has announced the hiring of Andreas Siedl who ran the powerful Porsche LMP program.

Someone on the internet took the time to compile McLaren's executive structure:



CEO
Zak Brown


Sporting Director
Gil De Ferran


Managing Director (F1)
Andreas Seidl


Managing Director (Indy)
Bob Fernley


Technical Director
James Key


Chief Engineer
Peter Prodromou


Operation Director
Simon Roberts


Team Manager
Paul James



Bob Fernley and Gil DeFerran look out of place in those positions, but I don't know if a straight switch is the best choice.
Also, I hope their egos aren't as big as their titles, because there's way too many people with big words on their office door signs.

Compare that to Red Bull: Horner, Newey and Helmut; or Mercedes: Toto, Allison, Niki.

[Godson]

It is the Brits, so...

[Crazed_Insanity]

Classic example of too many chiefs and not enough indians.

[Blerpa]

Ferrari close to sign in Mick Schumacher as a new member of its Ferrari Driving Academy and test driver; possible debut at, either, post-Barhain or post-Montmelò tests dedicated to rookie drivers with maximum 2 F1 races driven.
In the case Mick won't be used as test driver for those tests the first in line right after the Formula 3 champion is the 18 year old aussie Marcus Armstrong while Callum Ilott chances are dim.

[FaultyMario]

Good, i say! I like how the Sabines have managed his career. And the kid, while not another of the second comings of Senna we have recently seen in abundance, has the very Schumacher habit of Doing. The. Work.

[Yobbo NZ]

Armstrong is a Kiwi, his dad is a prominent Car dealer in my old home town.
Seems the kid can drive alright too.

[Blerpa]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/formula-one-entry-fees-revealed-true-cost/4324429/

[FaultyMario]

"Why Ricciardo left Red Bull" (https://racer.com/2019/01/17/interview-why-ricciardo-left-red-bull/). Surprisingly honest, actually.

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1087847471596748801/4VPlfAPx?format=jpg&name=600x314

https://motorsport.tech/formula-1/f1-technical-regulations-for-2019-overview

[dodint]

Brendon Hartley did a Players Tribune piece: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/brendon-hartley-formula-1-2019

:|

[Yobbo NZ]

From reading his take on it, seems Torro Rosso were just using him as a stop gap until their/a preferred driver became available. When that didn't eventuate, he was made to look like he was to blame for their shortcomings, hence his contract cut short.

Overall, considering he had spent 7 years out of a single seater, he improved a hell of a lot over the season and it was obviously political to why he got dropped.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Lady Luck also just wasn’t with him. Maybe that’s also a kiwi curse?

TR has been pretty ruthless to a number of their drivers.

At least he realized his dream to become a F1 driver. Lots of folks couldn’t even get in the door...

[Blerpa]

Sauber F1 team will be officially called "Alfa Romeo Racing" from 2019 and onward. BOOM.

[FaultyMario]

Yay, another manufacturer team!

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DyWtb7BWkAkb34V.jpg

[Alan P]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DyWtb7BWkAkb34V.jpg
Some of that is down to fuel tank size and the banning of refuelling, but damn modern cars are getting chonky.

[FaultyMario]

Love the Alesi era shape.

[Rare White Ape]

I prefer to call it the Berger era :o

[Blerpa]

Official news: Brendon Hartley is the new second simulator developing driver at Ferrari, alongside Pascal Wehrlein - they will be also joined by Davide Rigon and Antonio Fuoco.
Two main drivers (Vettel and LeClerc), a reserve young driver (Antonio Giovinazzi), an old second reserve driver (Marc Gene) and the aforamentioned 4 drivers.

[Yobbo NZ]

Probably a decent move. He did help out at Mercedes on the simulator during the start of the Hamilton reign.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I prefer to call it the Berger era :o

I prefer to call it the Senna era.

[FaultyMario]

I prefer to call it the Senna era.

Austrian
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/03/15/23/32388AB100000578-3492423-image-a-105_1458084582937.jpg

French
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIpRiAOXgAAjRGe.jpg


Close, but no Brazilian.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I know I know, just saying since 1988 til Senna died, I love the shapes of those F1 cars back then when Senna was around. Only exception were the Benetton car driven by Schumacher. I thought his car was rather ugly.

[FaultyMario]

I know I know, just saying since 1988 til Senna died, I love the shapes of those F1 cars back then when Senna was around. Only exception were the Benetton car driven by Schumacher. I thought his car was rather ugly.

Of the cars Schumacher drove, I think the best looking is easily the Jordan 191.
The Benetton from 1995, with its high nose, is not bad either.

[FaultyMario]

Oh, and Haas has presented its new livery.
I'm not sure if Rich Energy is a legitimate company or if they're paying with monopoly money but they got shafted with the palette. There's no way their logo can be easily distinguishable on TV. The Haas automation logos went with high contrast.

[JoeW]

If it said Rich where it currently says Haas then it would be fine. But Rich won’t be super visible while it’s zooming around the track. Small on the shark fin and sides of the front wing and really small on the nose.

[Freude am Fahren]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DyzEMVzXQAA-u1J.jpg

[Godson]

That car looks classy as fuck

Would bang.

[JoeW]

Def bangable.

[Rare White Ape]

Of the cars Schumacher drove, I think the best looking is easily the Jordan 191.
The Benetton from 1995, with its high nose, is not bad either.

You’ll enjoy his collection of cars then. The sight of a Ferrari F2004 would make my hair stand on end.


https://youtu.be/q8D6z0dWzgM

[Crazed_Insanity]

I like all of Michael’s cars, except the high nose Benettons...

I just think it’s ugly, plus I sort of blame it for possibly pressuring my idol to death at Imola. If it weren’t for that ugly high nose car, maybe Senna won’t be forced to push that hard....

[Rare White Ape]

OK yeah righto

[JoeW]

Toro Rosso looks about the same but the new Williams looks great.

[Freude am Fahren]

Why are you heathens making us look for pictures!?

Toro Rosso:
https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/2019carlaunches/ToroRosso/AP-1YDGC5MQ51W11_hires_jpeg_24bit_rgb_news%20crop.jpg .transform/9col/image.jpg

Williams:
https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/2019carlaunches/ToroRosso/WilliamsF1_4_HiRes.jpg.transform/9col/image.jpg

That blue in the Williams is quite nice up close. It's got a lot of metallic flake to it. Should look neat under the lights.

[JoeW]

I look at the F1 and ESPN app for the news in the morning on my phone. But getting those to this forum is such a pain on my phone that I just wait for you capable people to do it ;)

Sending positive wishes to Williams. I sincerely hope they pull something good out this year.

[dodint]

I like the TR, looks good for the 2 or 3 times it will be on camera during a race.

[FaultyMario]

I like the TR, looks good for the 2 or 3 times it will be on camera during a race.

Waddaya mean? It's a '18 RB, Kvyat's going to be in the podium in Australia.

[FaultyMario]

You've all seen Jean Todt's thong...



Dude, that's gross (http://teammatescartoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/0020-thong-man-rises-B.jpg).



but I bet you haven't seen his car.



A 1972 Miura SV (https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/jeantodtmiura.jpg) restored by Polo Storico (Lamborghini's in-house coach builder).

[JoeW]

New Renault is about the same as TR. Same as last year. Meh.

Can’t these guys think of new ways to display their traditional colors?

[IMOA]

Waddaya mean? It's a '18 RB, Kvyat's going to be in the podium in Australia.

I first read that as ‘Kvyat’s going to be crashing into the podium in Australia’

[Crazed_Insanity]

Anything’s possible... ;)

[JoeW]

New Merc is nice. I like the new lines. RB camo paint is pretty cool for a one off run. Looking forward to seeing the regular paint scheme.

[FaultyMario]

New Merc is nice. I like the new lines.

It's a fucking beautiful car.

[FaultyMario]

so sleek! (https://www.racefans.net/2019/02/13/first-pictures-mercedes-w10-revealed/f1-w10-eq-power-shakedown-silverstone-6/)

[FaultyMario]

Racing Point looks samey. But nice. I'm really happy the remaning 2.5 privateers found new sponsors.

[JoeW]

I like the added blue to the shark fin of Racing Point's car. Definitely stands out more.

[Freude am Fahren]

Mercedes:

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/2019carlaunches/MercedesW10/M182602.jpg.transform/9col/image.jpg

Red Bull (Preseason only):

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/2019carlaunches/RedBullRB15/AP-1YE5AHR2S2111_news.jpg.transform/9col/image.jpg

Racing Point:

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/2019carlaunches/RacingPoint/7850dba9-fd48-46ff-8eb6-50b555d3ea45.jpg.transform/9col/image.jpg

[FaultyMario]

I wish James Allison was given a road car to design... Boom!, a McLaren F1 for millennials!

[Crazed_Insanity]

Why didn't racing point put on pink tires to make their car look cooler?

Shows that they're still lagging behind Mercedes and Red Bull. Top teams know how to color coordinate their tires! :p

[Freude am Fahren]

No more Pink. White, Yellow, Red.

I guess they could use old ones, or custom ones.

And maybe they will replace red with Pink again for Breast Cancer Awareness like they did before pink was introduced.

[2ndMoparMan]

The only thing that bugs me are the shark fins over the engine air intake. Just doesn't seem to flow right, no matter what car it is. Don't like em on the prototypes either.

[Rare White Ape]

That Mercedes…

How can the world’s boringest colour scheme also look the best? It’s so cohesive and professional. It’s almost like someone took an old Microsoft website and painted it onto the car.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yes, that dash of teal color scheme around the rims and on the side of bodywork made it look pretty cool.

Based on color schemes alone, looks like Mercedes won again.

[JoeW]

Well we haven’t seen the RB race colors yet. I imagine it will be pretty good. McLaren and Alfa also still to come.

[Freude am Fahren]

Remember how McLaren would use orange every preseason and everyone wanted them to use it for the race car. And then they went down the shitter, and went with Orange when no one wanted to be a main sponsor, and everyone was just like, eh, neat. I hope they can get some success back.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Regardless of color scheme, it'll be funny if McLaren all of a sudden become a championship contender after Alonso bailed.

Also very nervous for RB and Honda. Will this finally be their break out year or will things go south very quickly and both decide to just fucking quit F-1.

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DzRYHkwWwAA6HqM.jpg

@nigelmansell (https://twitter.com/nigelmansell/status/1095597792360386560)When 2019 meets 1992.

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DzO3WepWwAAD9VU.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DzO3XZHWsAA0btW.jpg

Mais uma prova de como os carros da @F1 ficaram compridos (demais): Williams-Renault FW14B 1992 do título de Mansell vs AMG-Mercedes W09 2018 do penta de Hamilton (https://twitter.com/inacioF1/status/1095420758082416640)

[Rare White Ape]

Remember how McLaren would use orange every preseason and everyone wanted them to use it for the race car. And then they went down the shitter, and went with Orange when no one wanted to be a main sponsor, and everyone was just like, eh, neat. I hope they can get some success back.

A different age and a different team, that’s for sure.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcRSkhZ_sycRE-k6gJmWmc3rAmX9XISEu1k0J5n7sMkFQm14hntm

[Freude am Fahren]

Forgot about Renault:

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/2019carlaunches/Renault/fRONT%203%204S.jpg.transform/9col/image.jpg

[JoeW]

It’s amazing to see the size differences in the cars. What are the weight differences in those two?

[Rare White Ape]

Well,

As noted previously, the length difference is a result of a rule change that banned refueling md-race. They’ve got to put bigger fuel tanks in there now so they got longer.

Counter that with turbocharged V6 engines, which weigh less than the older V8s and V10s. And also factor in the improvements in structural rigidity that could earn them reductions in chassis weight.

So, they probably don’t weigh that much more than the old chassis.

But they are carrying about 3000kg in aero bits and bobs, sooooooo, dunno…

[Blerpa]

"As noted previously, the length difference is a result of a rule change that banned refueling md-race. They’ve got to put bigger fuel tanks in there now so they got longer. "

Too bad that smaller cars, and of a noticeable margin, were also used when refueling wasn't in F1. So, moot point.

[FaultyMario]

It's really a combination of things: a 'larger' fuel cell (compared to what?, the 200k they used before the introduction of refueling?); the batteries, those darn ERS batteries!; I think they've also banned suspension anchor points directly to the gearbox casing, so the gb actually sits a few centimeters further back; but most significant is the design philosophy that 'longer is better'.

When in reality is not the size that's important, it's the quantity and quality of the moves in the heat of the action that really separate the boys from the men.
That also applies to F1.

[Tom Servo]

I'd also guess part of it is to add significantly more crash structure to the front of the car to save drivers' legs.

[The359]

It's also down to the rules themselves mandating the cars are longer. I believe it's been done to aid in passing.

[dodint]

Conspiracy hat: More room for sponsorship.

[FaultyMario]

They could easily be one foot shorter, and IMO they should.

[FaultyMario]

Oh, and on the scaled models, the 2019s have deeper wings so they are in fact longer.

The new wine-colored Alfa is a thing.

[JoeW]

New McLaren at least looks a little different.

[balki]

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Formula_One_regulations (gaps, but still plenty of data points):
1961–1965 minimum weight set at 450 kg
1966–1969 minimum weight set at 500 kg
1970 Minimum weight set at 530 kg
1972 Minimum weight increased to 550 kg
1973 Minimum weight increased to 575 kg
1980 minimum weight for F1 car set at 575 kg
1982 minimum weight of car set at 580 kg
1983 minimum weight set at 540 kg
1987 minimum weight of cars set at 500 kg
1988 minimum weight of cars increased to 540 kg
2004 minimum weight set at 605 kg during qualifying and at no less than 600 kg at all other times (including driver and fuel)
2013 minimum weight increased to 642 kg
2017 car minimum weight increased to 728 kg
think we're at 740kg for 2019

[FaultyMario]

let's stop at 575, shall we?

[JoeW]

Or just an even 600. But jumping from 640 to 740 was a little ridiculous. How about trending downward instead of upward for once.

[balki]

that's what happened when they went from 1.6L turbos to 3.5L NAs
go back to 3.0L V10s and you're back to 600kg (i could have sworn some teams were using as much as 100kg of ballast as opposed to starving the drivers 2014-2018)

[Alan P]

It's reckoned most cars are actually under the weight limit (with a few exceptions at the start of the season for some teams) and they can then use ballast to move the CoG around depending on the track. I'm also pretty sure that minimum weight in 2017 started to include Driver as well as many teams were actively asking drivers to lose weight and it was a major disadvantage to drivers such as Nico Hulkenberg and Justin Wilson (RIP) who are rather on the tall side and were forced to be very skinny to keep weight down. I'm sure Hulk mentioned it more than once that he needed to control his eating far more than someone like Rosberg or Massa used to, purely because of his height.

[The359]

The same is true of some of the current LMPs, they were able to get under the weight and had to ballast up.

[FaultyMario]

The Alfa front wing... will other teams follow that lead? It only has the usable section and the horizontal elements don't go all the way to the endplates, because, according to some people, since it no longer needs to direct air between the front brake ducts and under the nose structure the horizontal elements only need be half length, the effect of the endplates on washing out air around the wheels is potent enough that the full winglets are not needed. mmm.

http://cdn-1.motorsport.com/images/amp/YN1jrzb2/s6/kimi-raikkonen-alfa-romeo-raci.jpg

[Godson]

Interesting. Looks like they are using the wing to kick the air over the tire too. In a very different way, but still doing it.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, interesting but just looks wrong. Gurney flap looks wrong too, but interestingly it worked. Let’s see if others copy this design.

[Freude am Fahren]

Conspiracy hat: More room for sponsorship.

I don't fault you for thinking that. F1 is about $ first, second and third. But most of the added area isn't sponsor friendly. Just look at the gaps between the sidepods and the rear and front wing endplates. That's where most of the area has been added, and not a lot of room for sponsors.

And to weight. I think even at what was it, 600kg when KERS were introduced, a lot of teams were actually pretty close, if not over before ballast. I'm not sure about when we went to the full hybrid V6 formula if it was that close with they higher minimums though. I'm sure they're all running a lot now though.

[Freude am Fahren]

Interesting to see the Alfa wing, given the rules, I assumed there wasn't even that much leeway to be that different.

[Freude am Fahren]

I like the new Macca.

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/2019carlaunches/McLarenMCL34/MCL34_2019_Side.jpg.transform/9col/image.jpg

Alfa going for a "special" testing livery

https://www.formula1.com/content/dam/fom-website/manual/Misc/2019carlaunches/AlfaRomeo/Alfa2019_4.jpg.transform/9col/image.jpg

[FaultyMario]

I don't fault you for thinking that. F1 is about $ first, second and third. But most of the added area isn't sponsor friendly. Just look at the gaps between the sidepods and the rear and front wing endplates. That's where most of the area has been added, and not a lot of room for sponsors.

Actually, I see most of the changes around the 'coke bottle' area. Look at the above shot of the Mansell Williams and the Merc.

The new sidpods are tiny by comparison!

[Rare White Ape]

Let’s see if others copy this design.

If the car is faster than everyone else's, then you can bet your left nut that it'll be copied.

[FaultyMario]

I'm not quite sold on Macca's lineup.

http://e0.365dm.com/19/02/768x432/skysports-lando-norris-carlos-sainz_4578338.jpg

Uninspiring to say the least.

Compare to, for example, 2016:

http://binaryapi.ap.org/c57065cab54e44dcbdb1f36d7533e2b8/preview.jpg

[JoeW]

Yeah they do not inspire confidence.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I think based on recent performance, driver line up won’t make much difference anyway.

I have to wonder how is it that it’s management is so confident of itself after seeing that it’s not the fault of driver nor power unit...

[samoht]

Williams aren't ready to start the new term tomorrow
"Unfortunately, we have had to delay the start of our pre-season Barcelona test to Tuesday morning."
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/141560/williams-to-miss-first-day-of-preseason-testing

[FaultyMario]

You smell that? Do you smell that?... Testing, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of Kiel probes and Pitot tubes in the morning. (https://www.racefans.net/2019/02/18/pictures-2019-f1-testing-day-one/motor-racing-formula-one-testing-test-one-day-1-barcelona-spain-589/)

[FaultyMario]

Williams aren't ready to start the new term tomorrow
"Unfortunately, we have had to delay the start of our pre-season Barcelona test to Tuesday morning."
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/141560/williams-to-miss-first-day-of-preseason-testing

Ah, ah, I almost forgot... I'm also going to need you to go ahead and cancel Tuesday, too. We, uhhh, lost some people this week and we sorta need to play catch-up. Mmmmmkay? Thaaaaaanks.

[Crazed_Insanity]

You smell that? Do you smell that?... Testing, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of Kiel probes and Pitot tubes in the morning. (https://www.racefans.net/2019/02/18/pictures-2019-f1-testing-day-one/motor-racing-formula-one-testing-test-one-day-1-barcelona-spain-589/)

Wow.

[balki]

So the teams said the new rules will cost them +1-5 - 2.0 sec/lap
Test 1 Day 1: Vettel runs a 1m18.161s, all the teams* were faster than their first two days last year (not sure how much the weather and new tire compounds made up).
*No Williams as mentioned.

[FaultyMario]

I don't know, cars seem slower overall, but since there are no restrictions to DRS deployment in testing... observers say the new wings are huge and the letterbox (DRS open) is super obvious. Hulkenberg said the cars feel really draggy with the wing closed.

[Rare White Ape]

https://youtu.be/OCMDH_at1_o

[JoeW]

Saw that this morning. I am giddy as fuck to watch that series.

[FaultyMario]

Horner: A cousin was ill in London two or three weeks ago, but is well now. The report of my illness (https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/28935/honda-2019-engine-showing-problems-vibrations-at-high-velocity-.html) great out of his illness. The report of my death was an exaggeration (https://www.racefans.net/2019/02/20/horner-denies-reports-of-vibration-problems-with-honda-power-unit/).

[FaultyMario]

The (true*) Williams actually looks interesting, short wheelbase and lots of rake. Their design philosophy is completely opposite to Mercedes'.

*They had previously presented their livery on a dummy car.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Pics?

[FaultyMario]

LMGTFY. (https://twitter.com/WilliamsRacing)

[JoeW]

So in the aftermath of the first few days of testing I am in high-anticipation mode.

Of course I am hoping the Honda/RB partnership brings them closer to the top two...but I have a very tiny feeling that problems are coming.

I find myself rooting for Ferrari moreso than ever. I want to see them win the battle of the top two...and I want Leclerc to have a great rookie year and help Ferrari win the constructor's title as well. I have never been a Ferrari "fan" but I am hoping they prosper this year.

I like Ricciardo but I like him a tiny bit less driving a Renault. Not sure why honestly.

Really hoping Williams can pull themselves out of the cellar this year. They need a ray of hope.

I like seeing Kimi at Alfa. Finally no one to play team orders for this year.

I was sour on Kvyat getting a shot but I've come around a bit on TR. I would like to see Albon and Kvyat prosper.

I'm meh on Mercedes, Renault and Racing Point honestly.

That's how I feel ;)

[Crazed_Insanity]

Anyway, you'll just have to put your fantasy money where your mouth is.

Speaking of which, when will registration begin?

[FaultyMario]

Of course I am hoping the Honda/RB partnership brings them closer to the top two...but I have a very tiny feeling that problems are coming.

Of course! they're going to have integration problems. Meh, fuck redbull. But I want Honda to succeed, so i'll root for team Faenza.


I want Leclerc to have a great rookie year and help Ferrari win the constructor's title as well. I have never been a Ferrari "fan" but I am hoping they prosper this year.

I'm indifferent to LeClerc (perhaps because I see him as the usurper to Bianchi's seat) and generally indifferent to Ferrari, but Merc's dominance has gone on for too long. Also, Hamilton being british in what is essentially a british sport gets annoying. So yeah fuck Hamilton and Mercedes; Ferrari, win.


I like Ricciardo but I like him a tiny bit less driving a Renault. Not sure why honestly.

Me too, but I think that's because I like Hulk more.


Really hoping Williams can pull themselves out of the cellar this year.

Me too, privateers deserve better, in general.


I like seeing Kimi at Alfa. Finally no one to play team orders for this year.

I'd prefer if he was driving a Sauber, but, it's only a two year deal, and the fact that they've kept naming conventions (C38) gives me hope.


I was sour on Kvyat getting a shot but I've come around a bit on TR.

I liked that James Key was the design honcho at TR, but with him leaving, I don't know how I feel about the team. I hope the torpedo does well, though.


I'm meh on Mercedes, Renault and Racing Point honestly.

I like Mercedes, I just hate their dominance, and that it came about by cheating-is-really-not-cheating master Ross Brawn. Racing Point and Haas I like because bang for buck. Renault... bwoah.

[JoeW]

Yeah me hopes for Ferrari and LeClerc are largely based on my current dislike of Mercedes domination.

It’s also funny to note that seeing all these new boyish looking drivers and seeing how young they look. But then I realize Verstappen is the same age or younger than all but Norris who is 19. Crazy that he seems to be a veteran but is really still on the youngest end of the scale.

[Blerpa]

Fuck Ferrari, Fuck Vettel. Also Fuck Horner, Red Bull and Honda.

[FaultyMario]

That reminds me, Fuck McLaren. I can't stand Zak Brown.

[FaultyMario]

https://cdn-8.motorsport.com/images/amp/YKbkvND2/s6/general-fia-sports-conference-2016-zak-brown.jpghttps://cadenaser00.epimg.net/ser/imagenes/2009/08/15/cultura/1250291829_740215_0000000000_sumario_cuerpo.jpg

[JoeW]

Yasssss!

[Crazed_Insanity]

You guys fuck too much. Take it easy.

[JoeW]

Said the whore to the gigolo.

[FaultyMario]

Leclerc's mouth goes well with his pair of hands


The performance has no sense for now because it remains testing, [Mercedes] are probably not pushing and we are not either. We don’t know how much the others are sandbagging so we’ll see at the first race.

[FaultyMario]

Some news from testing sessions 1.

It seems the Sauber front wing is IT. Expect other teams to follow suit.
It seems the Mercedes brake duct aero stuff are IT. Expect other teams to copy it.
The undercut sidepods are what's fashionable. As shown here by Torro Rosso.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D0Cwmi3X4AE3Jbl.jpg

[FaultyMario]

Good news from day 5 of testing: Lando Norris tops the times with an upgraded aero package, Stroll breaks the 78-second barrier. Williams rack up the mileage with almost 2 GP distances for George Russell. Ricciardo did 77 laps and Hulk 80 more.

In the not so good news, the McLaren stopped with hydraulic problems (something that plagued the Renault-engined cars last year) and Bottas only did 7 laps.

[Godson]

Haas has put in 130(?) Laps so far, so that's good

[JoeW]

I can’t wait to see the level of sandbagging going on when the season starts.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Honda seems to have sorted out reliability problems and seems powerful enough according to reports. I hope RB is doing the most sandbagging, because otherwise it's going to be a boring season without a 3 way fight...

Ferrari and the associated teams look very promising according reports... This may be the year for Ferrari! It's nice to see things possibly looking up for McLaren. Hope Williams does better this year as well...

[FaultyMario]

[Williams] completed 119 laps without any significant reliability issues, so we achieved the entire programme that we had planned from the start of the day. We completed a mixture of data gathering and performance running at low and high fuel on a range of different tyre compounds. It is early days with our familiarisation with the car, so there is a lot of work to do to understand what we have got and the directions that we need to take. We have already identified some opportunities though, and we will keep pushing through the remainder of the week to prepare ourselves for Australia.

###

[FaultyMario]

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/D0gH7OQX4AAuBQW.jpg

Big crash, but Gasly walked out of it.

In other news, AMuS is calling the Mercedes W10 "Dr. Jekyll". Bottas has said that "definitely we have some kind of balance issues we still need to solve. Many things in the car we can still improve [...] It was not like last week we realised we needed to change something and brought something new, it was well planned a long time ago. I’m sure we’ll try to bring some improvements for Melbourne as well."

I guess that means they'll be in damage limitation mode for the first flyaway races.

Ferrari reports that Vettel's big crash from yesterday was caused by debris iogged in the rim. Vettel mentioned yesterday that he felt something was off in the front left corner.

Bob Kubitzer, on the other hand feels happy with the stuff the team has in the pipeline, they only thing that's bothering the staff at Williams is reliability.

[Rare White Ape]

Maybe that’s because they are in the expected performance window.

[Alan P]

There was some talk on Twitter that an 'unnamed senior figure at a front running team' thought Mercedes may actually have developed two cars and will run different cars at different circuit types depending on the demands of the circuit.

[FaultyMario]

There was some talk on Twitter that an 'unnamed senior figure at a front running team' thought Mercedes may actually have developed two cars and will run different cars at different circuit types depending on the demands of the circuit.


However, according to Will Buxton, the new concept is not an upgrade, rather a different spec altogether.

Buxton had a conversation with one of Mercedes’ rivals and received this insight. They feel Mercedes have two specs ready for the 2019 season and would be making a choice on the go, depending on the track.

“Very interesting chat this morning with one of Merc’s major rivals. Their thinking is that this week’s W10 isn’t an upgrade package but an alternate Spec. Believe the team could be considering running 2 concepts, track dependant, in 2019.” Will Buxton tweeted.

from thesportrush.com

[JoeW]

The power of unlimited resources. I hope it bites them in the ass.

[JoeW]

Kubica looks way out of place out there. That dude looks like 50yrs old.

[FaultyMario]

One week before the F1 season begins in Australia, it has emerged that Lowe has stepped away from his role... (https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/141929/lowe-takes-leave-from-troubled-williams-team)

[FaultyMario]

Pirelli has asked teams to allow one to provide the tire maker with a mule for developing the 2021 tires. With so much advantageous information to be gained from such work, of course nobody had given permission for another team to test. Until now.

They have almost unanimously said "It's ok if Williams does it, we don't care".

:(

[Rare White Ape]

:lol:

It’s like giving the special kid a faster wheelchair.

[samoht]

More on Williams: https://www.omologatowatches.com/blog/racers-edge-williams
The waste of it all - of the results, of the money - is in what so easily might have been. Frank was never going to run Williams forever, but the future, for those who knew the team, in theory always seemed assured: Jonny Williams, Frank’s eldest son [...] Yet, inexplicably ... Jonny was sidelined by the Williams board when succession was mooted. Instead, it was Jonny’s younger sister who was empowered to sign the cheques

[Crazed_Insanity]

Guess Williams and Mclaren both are infected by the same disease. Hope they recover soon or I can’t see how these 2 zombie teams can continue on fighting for last place in the championship...

[samoht]

BBC now reporting directly that "Paddy Lowe has left the team"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47476566
"The team were not able to say when he might return and the expectation is that he will not."

[Blerpa]

Fia is quickly ratifing a new rule: a single point issued to the driver that marks the fastest lap in the race. Only valid for drivers in the top 10 final standings at race end.
Before someone complains, it was a rule existing in original F1 from 1950 to 1959... and the point that gave the championship to Hawthorne over Stirling Moss in the 1958 season.
I'm fine with it.

[FaultyMario]

I don't like it.

In the age of 'lift and coast', it is essentially available only to Mercedes and Ferrari.

[Freude am Fahren]

I don't have a problem with it, but why limit it to top 10?

[balki]

one point in the 1950's was notable, but in the age of +300 points needed to win the championship it's almost an non-factor.
like it, there'll be more action at the end of the race.

[FaultyMario]

I don't have a problem with it, but why limit it to top 10?

Because Liberty won't 'gimmick the sport up'.

Who knows, to avoid a lapped car to pit for fresh tires and have a go at it? But, as it now stands, only the rostrum guys end the race in the leader's lap.

[The359]

The top 10 rule is because of the end of the first season on Formula E, where I believe the championship was within one point, and Buemi attempted to ram Piquet (I think?) to guarentee he had no points, then he's hop in his spare car and attempt to set the fastest lap to get that 1 point to toe and win on tiebreaker. After that FE changed it to the Top 10 only being allowed the fastest lap point.

Requiring you to finish in the Top 10 means you can't just lay at the back putting on super softs trying to gain point.

[Crazed_Insanity]

These things really should be 'shadow' points... to be used in the event of a championship ties. If there's a tie, then who ever won more races should win. If that's still a tie, then it should be who ever has more pole positions. If that's still a tie, then it'll be whoever has more fastest race laps, etc.

Awarding fastest lap point will only encourage more kamikaze moves for backmarkers, I guess the top 10 requirement sort of fixed that.

I'd much rather see them award qualification points just as they do for races... encouraging all teams to try their best effort during qualifying... and discourage drivers for stupid dangerous driving which might result in qualification penalties...

Anyway, these rules probably won't do much for the sport overall. What I'd like to see is to for FIA to come up with something that'll help future teams to not end up like McLaren or Williams. Money and politics tend to end up ruining these teams. We do want more teams in the sport, but FIA better not financially enable these type of low performing teams to continue to make money off of their heritage names... setup financial incentives/assistance for higher performing and improving teams only. Lower performing teams should just be allowed to die. There also shouldn't be paid drivers. FIA should invest in young drivers and give them chances to race by 'sponsoring' them financially. Allowing paid drivers not only reduce opportunity for future stars, but also won't make very interesting racing.

Bottomline is that rules need to be in place to minimize influences from rich people who are not true racers. If that's not fixed, the entire series will probably end up like McLaren or Williams soon. That'll be a shame. Hope Ross Brawn will steer this ship in the right direction just as he did for Ferrari, Brawn GP and Mercedes...

[samoht]

Seems like a good idea, and as noted the top-ten finishing requirement avoids obvious abuse potential. Currently drivers often try to hit fastest lap for pride, while engineers try to stop them to protect the machinery - having a proper contest sounds good.

[JoeW]

Watched 1st episode of the Netflix F1 show...
Fucking amazing!

[Freude am Fahren]

So if 11th place gets fastest lap, does the next fastest lap get a point, or no one?

[Crazed_Insanity]

It makes more sense to not award that point to anyone in that case...

[JoeW]

One of the top quotes of the Netflix series...

Hulk...once again the most unsporting driver on the grid

Mag... suck my balls mate.

Omg I hope they do this series after every season because this shit is amazing

[JoeW]

Just finished it...final thoughts.

I really learned a lot about and gained a lot of insight I didn’t have before.

After watching it I wish Ocon could have found a seat. I like Mag a lot more now. I dislike the Stroll father AND son more than ever. Gunther Steiner is a funny mofo. I like Cyril and Horner more now than before. Had no idea LeClerc and Gasly were such good buds...It will add to my future watching enjoyment. I feel bad for Grosjean...that kind of shit can really get in your head. Supremely glad the show didn’t focus on Merc or Ferrari...we know their story and couldn’t give two shits about seeing them given any more airtime. But on the other hand, the success of this series may prompt them to open up a bit more to the film crew and show the fans they are human...or not? I have a bad feeling Williams is going to be a shit show this season and may close their doors if it’s too bad.

Great show though...must watch.

[Tom Servo]

This makes me happy that Kimi's moved to Sauber if they do one for this upcoming season. Everything's better with more Kimi.

[FaultyMario]

Race director Charlie Whiting dead at 66.

[Godson]

I am shocked.

https://www.fia.com/news/fia-statement-charlie-whiting

[Rare White Ape]

Dang :(

I had the pleasure of working under his direction (many, many rungs down the ladder) one year at Melbourne.

Vale, Mr Whiting.

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D1mgj-gXgAEzCKk.jpg

RIP Charlie.

[JoeW]

Ricciardo is definitely regretting his decision now. RBR appears to have top 3 pace for now. Renault not looking very good at all. Hulks car didn’t even do a lap until the end due to problems. LeClerc looking really good. TR looking good with Kvyat as well. Merc looks really twitchy right now.

[Blerpa]

I'd wait race time... once Honda will act up or Verstappen fuck it up.
Also... Renault looking decent actually.

[JoeW]

FP2 everyone thinking Ferrari and RBR sandbagging. Ver still throwing down top 3. I can’t wait to see what Qualifying brings.

Williams is just dried up dog shit.

Renault I’m thinking will be beat by Toro Rosso which will be embarrassing.

Alfa and Haas looking good as well.

[samoht]

Yeah, sad about Charlie. It's a role which only tends to get attention when there's controversy or things go wrong, but he managed to keep things fair with a surprising amount of goodwill & mutual respect all around.


Found this article about the difference between Merc & Ferrari aero concepts, I found interesting details https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47527705 . Hope the 'Secret Aerodynamicist' keeps writing for them.

[XHawkeye]

Found this article about the difference between Merc & Ferrari aero concepts, I found interesting details https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47527705 . Hope the 'Secret Aerodynamicist' keeps writing for them.

Thanks for the heads up

[Godson]

I'm really excited about Haas this season. However, I feel grosjean is going to cock it up at some point.

[FaultyMario]

Renault I’m thinking will be beat by Toro Rosso which will be embarrassing.


Why?


As I see it, in Y-1 "B" loses -200 exp to "A", then in Y0 B gains +700 exp from the previous year's loss.

And because Renault has no B team... well, they're fucked.

[Alan P]

I think Renault have the potential to 'do a Mercedes'. They're investing heavily in their Enstone base, have poured money into their engine and have aggressively gone after Danny Ric and got him, something most thought they'd never be able to do. I think they'll come good in the next couple of years and could join Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes in fighting it out for podiums. Will that happen this season? Most probably not, but I think they'll be getting there in 2020.

[FaultyMario]

Apparently Vettel is comfortable with a 'leaning' car, which maybe Kimi wasn't. And LeClerc isn't experienced enough to have developed a preference yet, so that partly explains the Ferrari pairing choice.

Asymmetrical suspension and mismatched brakes in the F90.

[FaultyMario]

I think Renault have the potential to 'do a Mercedes'. They're investing heavily in their Enstone base, have poured money into their engine and have aggressively gone after Danny Ric and got him, something most thought they'd never be able to do. I think they'll come good in the next couple of years and could join Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes in fighting it out for podiums. Will that happen this season? Most probably not, but I think they'll be getting there in 2020.

Those my thoughts as well.

[JoeW]

I think Danny has chosen the wrong team for a 2 yr contract if he wanted to win more races. Maybe when the regs do a major switch the field will level out again.

[FaultyMario]

I think TR will be faster than RBR over a race distance in Australia. I think they'll stay faster than Renault for half the season.
The Ferrari Bteams are looking good, too.

Max is in for a year of hurt.

[JoeW]

We’ll find out who really has the goods after Q3 :)

[FaultyMario]

I've seen enough in FP.

;)

[Yobbo NZ]

All the Kubica fans, seriously, he's going to be a moving chicane shedding parts.
Great come back, yes, but pisstake of a PR stunt.

[FaultyMario]

Both Renaults out in Q2.

[FaultyMario]

Ah, The Lando has landed.

[FaultyMario]

Grid: from hamilton from bottas from vettel from verstappen from leclerc...

[Blerpa]

Renault underperformed... but what was all that talk about Toro Rosso? LOL
Lando is Coming.
I truly can't believe someone would think Kubica, a Ralf Schumacher-like has-been type missing for years from open wheel racing, old and with some hindering health issues would do better than a young, up and coming F2 champion. Pfff. People truly crack me up.

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah I’m glad to see Norris has come out kicking.

And I think the driver’s and constructor’s championships have already been sewn up…

[balki]

The qualifying gap was seven tenths last year as well. Thought both championships were closer than the results (Vettel’s mistakes and Kimi’s reliablity cost Ferrari).
The gap to Haas is 1.4 seconds, pretty big, but it was 2.0 seconds last year.

Lando was the biggest surprise