Formula 1 Fans?

I guess you're right. But F1 will not be satisfied with a Pirelli whitewash, managing an explosive situation here and they'll want some proper answers. Recommendations might be things like fewer laps or different compounds or higher pressures? And an acknowledgement by Pirelli if 'they' feel it necessary to push some of that increased pressure in that direction.

And there's the farcical race at Indianapolis in 2005 . . . definitely not one of Formula One's greatest days.
 
How about a little conspiracy theory, (a situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister powerful groups often rooted in political motivation)

Toto buys into Aston Martin ? (Mercedes engines)
Aston Martin, Hires Vettel , does Lance's seat have anything to do with his father's $ ? He does have talent though.
Hamilton, takes forever to sign contract for THIS year, Toto's future position with AMG Mercedes rumors starting to swirl.
Does Bottas's have same equipment, set up software as Hamilton's car? NOT (just a guess)
Next year I am looking for Verstrappen and Russel to be at Mercedes
Toto and Lewis to Aston Martin ????

Haas, team sponsored by Russian billionaire, oligarch to get his son a seat. His son is proving every week he is not up to the task.
Haas looking for a way out. Uralkali money will cash him out . Total disgust to have Russian (Mob) sponsor an American F1 car . (What's next Gene,
Russian partner decals on Stewart- Haas Nascar rides for: Harvik, Almirola, Brisco, Custer ? Maybe Mazepin moving to Nascar ?

I worked for Mercedes for almost 20 years , most of my comments are tongue and cheek.

"let's stir up this thread" :wtf:
 
How about a little conspiracy theory, (a situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister powerful groups often rooted in political motivation)

Oh, please, how about not? The reality of F1 provides plenty of interest for aficionados without any need to open up spurious 'alternative realities'.
 
Pirelli actually took responsibility.

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/1...uh9z66g2lNpG4YoUyoP9wTP3-XVnxXC8X2diRQ0Wbc4kM

--From the Article--
After extensive analysis since the Baku race on June 6, F1's tyre supplier said the blowouts on the circuit's main straight were caused by a "circumferential break on the inner sidewall" on the left-rear hard compound, which was related to the "running conditions of the tyre". Pirelli concluded there were no quality defects or signs of fatigue from the tyre, which in both instances had been used for more than 25 laps. Tyres used by other cars in the race for similar stint lengths were also examined. Pirelli made clear Red Bull and Aston Martin correctly followed the mandated starting parameters regarding minimum tyre pressure and maximum blanket temperature.
 
Since Red Bull/Honda have been on a winning streak, this thread seems to have disappeared. Let’s bring it back. Merc not having a win in four races, who would have thunk that a couple of months back. I love it. Max is the best driver, just didn’t, have the power unit to showcase that talent. Now he does. Toto and Hammy must be crying in their Wheeties, not fair, let’s figure out a way to slow them down. Things can and may change over the rest of the season, but right now the racing is the best its been in a long time.
 
Agree the racing is good. Toto claims he welcomes the competition, which he recognises is very good for the sport. Lewis seems pretty upbeat as well, there is no doubt he has matured a lot over the last few years. Max too. There seems to be a good measure of mutual respect. But you feel that when push comes to shove, Max will push just a little bit harder?
 
There seems to be a good measure of mutual respect.
I think that went out the window today. The lap 1 incident at Copse looked like desperation to me on Hamilton's part. He was not ahead going into that corner and damn well could have left some more room for Verstappen. My thoughts are that Hamilton is a seven-time world champion and knew exactly what he was doing. I'm just glad that Verstappen walked away from that 51G impact.
 
Let’s bring it back.
Also, my apologies for not seeing this. I normally get email notifications about these posts, but must have missed this one. I just figured that no one wanted to hear me spouting on and on about Red Bull winning so I have kept my mouth shut.

I am curious to learn what you all think about that last race... Either way, it has been an excellent season thus far.
 
I think that went out the window today. The lap 1 incident at Copse looked like desperation to me on Hamilton's part. He was not ahead going into that corner and damn well could have left some more room for Verstappen. My thoughts are that Hamilton is a seven-time world champion and knew exactly what he was doing. I'm just glad that Verstappen walked away from that 51G impact.

May I respectfully disagree? When you see the footage from inside Lewis' car, he got ahead or at least level with Max on the way into the corner. Being a racer, he undoubtedly believes that. But I think he committed in a half-hearted way, which left Max ahead approaching the apex. Max was entitled to take the racing line. So I see it as a racing incident but with the blame on Lewis' side.

He knew he would face a penalty. He looked miserable because he is not a dirty driver. His record proves that - over his F1 career and junior classes before that, he has had very few collisions and even fewer that were his fault.

We can discuss whether the penalty was correct, but there's little point because that's in the past now. What a brilliant recovery though.

This is a competitive season for Hamilton & Verstappen and it's almost inevitable that there would be a coming together at some point. This is racing, not a home baking contest. There may be more incidents . . .

But we should all be thankful that Max was able to step out of the car. What a wreck!
 
May I respectfully disagree?
Or course! I have to admit that I was a little fired up :cussing: when I wrote that, having just finished watching the race... I have been a staunch Red Bull fan from day 1 and have been eagerly awaiting the downfall of Mercedes.

That collision aside, what a wonderful season it has been. The young drivers in particular have been spectacular. Russel, Norris, Leclerc, and Gasly have been so much fun to watch. I would love to see Russel be given a chance at Mercedes.

What are your thoughts on the trial run of sprint qualifying?
 
What are your thoughts on the trial run of sprint qualifying?

Not really convinced yet. The mind set is bound to be different - crash the car and you might end up spectating on Sunday. Mind you, Alonso did well in the new format. We'll see . . .

Fully agree about the young drivers. Norris has surely become a favourite with the fans already? I too would like to see Russell have a seat at Mercedes. Many commentators are quietly saying it's a done deal for next year.
 
Yeah, too bad about the racing mishap that took Max out, two guys unwilling to concede an inch. They could have given each other a little more room, but that is not part of a racer mindset. 10 seconds for Hammy was justified, he was going to get some points, how many at the time remained to be seen, but Max was going to get zero. I have to admit that Hammy had an impressive drive, to win, even with the 10 second stop penalty. Made Valteris drive look rather pedestrian at times. I think his time at Merc is nearly over. Too bad, he comes across as a decent guy, but like they say, "nice guys finish last". I reckon George will be in the car next year, but there will be a clause in his contract, "Thou must not embarrass Sir Lew". I was rooting for Leclerc to pull it off, he seemed to have engine problems for a while and didn't have the pace in the end. The sprint was just ok for me. Take it or leave it, don't care. Just another way to get more people in the stands on a Saturday and fill the F1 coffers. But it is a big business so that is how it goes. Championships have tightened up, and that's a good thing.
 
As much as I am enjoying the more level playing field in MotoGP without Marc Marquez dominating I do hope he is able to get back to form if not domination.
As for Formula one, it was well past time for other teams to close the gap on the silver arrows. I am enjoying the on track evidence of a more level playing field. However when the sanctioning body politic leaks into the racing I am not so great a fan.
No matter who wins this years formula one championship they will have well and truly known they were in a fight.
I do hope that results reflect the talent of the teams and drivers rather than the politics of the sport.

So how long have I been following the sport ?
repco.jpg

Somewhere under those Repco heads and all the plumbing is a Buick/Olds aluminum V8 block.
Sir Jack was the last to design, build, race, and win a Formula One Ti\tle in his own car.
What bits you can find about the car are good reading.
 
Kop, you are right, Jack was the only one to win the F1 title in a car with his name. Dan Gurney and Bruce McLaren both won races in their cars as well. Not sure if others have done as well, Google may reveal others. How long have I been into F1. This pic was taken by my mum back in 1958. I do remember that race, winner on the right, 3rd in the middle and 2nd to the right. Who are those guys, take a guess, all were well known, and still are.58 nz gp winners.JPG
 
Russell to McLaren. Comments after the last race seem to indicate they are satisfied with Bottas as a number 2, something Russell will likely not be too interested in. Ricciardo to get the boot.

I will disagree and state that it hasn't been terribly interesting to watch one dominant team get switched for another dominant team. I miss the Senna, Prost,Mansell, Piquet, Lauda era when it was more than a 2 team series. The turbo v6 hybrids are boring and ugly. I miss the 22k rpm atmos. I was hoping Aston Martin would be doing better than they are, but I guess any low rake design is kind if hooped this year, other than Merc.
 
It's a matter of opinion I guess. I've never found Formula One to be boring, not generally anyway.
Some races do become high speed parade laps with very little change from qualifying order.
Even those races have a semblance of intrigue in Q2-Q3.

The V6 Turbo-Hybrid era despite its black politic machinations has and does reflect the design and engineering of the times. You can argue all day about the ambiance and visceral appeal of the V8-V10 mega RPM power plants but that technology was no more sustainable than the raw turbo era that preceded it.

Curious that in the end the Hybrid era results in two important details that may be overlooked by the casual observer. A reduced fuel load due to hybrid efficiency and fair kick in butt from the battery/capacitor off the corner.
All this on perhaps 60% of the fuel that was used 8-10 years ago.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I do find the Barge Board brickabrack distracting, ugly, difficult to regulate and , well, ugly. I don't foresee a departure from the multi-element front wings but I can hope. I understand this next "formula" will revisit a bit of the under body aerodynamics that was legislated out of the sport decades ago. It also is reported that at least some sense has been applied as well, there will be no "skirts". Engine wise it has been rumored that dumping stored electrical energy onto the turbo shaft is a serious possibility. For those of you not acquainted with the formula and rules , Formula One does not allow spinning up the turbo electrically.
f1-magneti-marelli-ers-inline.jpg

Something very like this resides in each of the engines of Formula One in some configuration.
http://www.mouchinracing.com/2014/04/heres-more-mercedes-f1-engine-stuff-ive.html
For now the three phase generator is one way. At peak levels it charges a capacitor bank. At nominal levels it charges the battery directly. Peak discharge is from the capacitor, and nominal discharge directly from the battery. World endurance racing allows voltage/current to be applied to the turbo shaft on acceleration. The resulting near elimination of turbo lag and not incidental ability to use a larger compressor without stalling the intake makes for "pretty damn zippy" throttle response. Then on the upper end it means grabbing a bunch of the shaft energy to charge the battery and to act as a boost control. If you are "harvesting" at the end of a straight you're not over boosting.

What we are anticipating is better medium to high speed aero without a dirty wake.
An even more compact, more efficient and "pretty damn zippy" right off the bottom power unit.
A continuing advancement in designed degradation of tires.
Continuing advances in track and vehicle safety. (Romain Grosjean)


My hope is that Formula One continues to encourage technological advancement, attempt to maintain a level playing field, and continue to work on track safety.

Had enough ? :)
 
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