F1 2016
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1%er
Well-Known Member
Has Nico really signed with Mercedes
Over the weekend it was reported (by Sky I'm told) that Nico Rosberg had signed a new contract with Mercedes according to comments made by Dieter Zetsche the boss of Mercedes, but there has been no confirmation of this from the Formula 1 team. Reports today in the Italian press claim that Rosberg is talking to Ferrari about replacing Kimi Raikkonen for the 2017 season, also that Mercedes have been in talks with Fernando Alonso as a replacement if Nico really does jump ship.
Has Red Bull securing the services of Max Verstappen started the silly season of the drivers roundabout early?
British government refuses to deport Vijay Mallya
India's request to the UK Government to deport Vijay Mallya has been refused on the grounds that the UK does not deport people because they don't have a passport but have "leave to remain", they have asked the Indian government “to consider requesting mutual legal assistance or extradition”. This has pushed the Enforcement Directorate to ask Interpol to issue a red corner notice, which is similar to an international arrest warrant. He is wanted in India on a number of charges including money-laundering, fraud and being a willful defaulter. There was to be a motion in the Indian parliament to expel Mallya who is a member of the Upper House in India, but it is reported that he has sent a resignation letter.
Ultra-sort tyres make there debut at Monaco
Lets hope that the new untra-soft tyres work as well as they are expected to in Monaco as both Mercedes and Red Bull are taking 10 sets of the new tyre to the race. This means that the only options they have will be 2 sets super-soft and 1 set of soft.
Over the weekend it was reported (by Sky I'm told) that Nico Rosberg had signed a new contract with Mercedes according to comments made by Dieter Zetsche the boss of Mercedes, but there has been no confirmation of this from the Formula 1 team. Reports today in the Italian press claim that Rosberg is talking to Ferrari about replacing Kimi Raikkonen for the 2017 season, also that Mercedes have been in talks with Fernando Alonso as a replacement if Nico really does jump ship.
Has Red Bull securing the services of Max Verstappen started the silly season of the drivers roundabout early?
British government refuses to deport Vijay Mallya
India's request to the UK Government to deport Vijay Mallya has been refused on the grounds that the UK does not deport people because they don't have a passport but have "leave to remain", they have asked the Indian government “to consider requesting mutual legal assistance or extradition”. This has pushed the Enforcement Directorate to ask Interpol to issue a red corner notice, which is similar to an international arrest warrant. He is wanted in India on a number of charges including money-laundering, fraud and being a willful defaulter. There was to be a motion in the Indian parliament to expel Mallya who is a member of the Upper House in India, but it is reported that he has sent a resignation letter.
Ultra-sort tyres make there debut at Monaco
Lets hope that the new untra-soft tyres work as well as they are expected to in Monaco as both Mercedes and Red Bull are taking 10 sets of the new tyre to the race. This means that the only options they have will be 2 sets super-soft and 1 set of soft.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Is Nico thinking that the Merc supremacy can't last forever? So he's guessing which team is likeliest to be in the ascendency?
It's been on the cards (I think) that Alonso wanted to jump to Mercedes. But will he see Merc plateauing like Nico? And if so would he be better off trying to get back into Ferrari..? To be honest, I see Alonso as yesterday's man. The top teams, whichever they will be, have got to be thinking of the talent coming through.
I agree that the Verstappen re-assignment (for whatever reason) is looking like a prescient move.
It's been on the cards (I think) that Alonso wanted to jump to Mercedes. But will he see Merc plateauing like Nico? And if so would he be better off trying to get back into Ferrari..? To be honest, I see Alonso as yesterday's man. The top teams, whichever they will be, have got to be thinking of the talent coming through.
I agree that the Verstappen re-assignment (for whatever reason) is looking like a prescient move.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Interestingly when asked about the Ferrari rumor, Rosberg answered "I’m happy with Mercedes, but we’ll see what the future holds" and didn't just rule out the story. It is also interesting that Mercedes have not confirmed that he has signed a new contract despite what was said at the weekend.
FIA to monitor tyre pressures during the race
Pirelli and some teams believe that there is some cheating going on with tyre pressures and the FIA have now decided to monitor tyre pressures throughout the race, telemetry information from the teams about tyre pressures will have to be sent to the FIA during the race. It is thought that some teams are heating wheels or using double chambers in the rims, to falsify their data. Teams have already been advised by the FIA that double chambered rims will not be permitted.
1%er
Well-Known Member
A double-chambered wheel rim has a small bleed hole in-between the two rims. The outer chamber would be filled with higher pressure to ensure the tyres were above the minimum pressure limit, while the inner chamber would have less pressure, the hole would be small enough not to allow the higher pressure air to escape instantly but over a short period of time the pressure in the two chambers would equalise, lowering the overall pressure the tyre was being run at.
If anyone is wondering why would teams do that, it is because of the "contact patch" the area of the tyre in contact with the ground, the bigger the contact patch the better the grip, so the car slides less and therefore the forward motion is better.
The FIA say this is a breach of the regulations.
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weltweit
Well-Known Member
Thanks for trying to explain it 1%er, but I don't get it. You are saying the design of the rim (which the team constructs) can permit higher pressures inside the tyre (which the tyre supplier builds) for a period?
I don't really understand your point about contact patches either I am afraid, surely it is wholly in Pirelli's interest to get maximum contact patch because apart from many other advantages it reduces wheel spin or skidding or locking up which shortens the life of their tyres.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Point one, tyre pressures.
Because of the problems with tyres at some races last year, Pirelli decided to introduce "minimum pressures" as they felt that some teams were running very low pressures (to increase the contact patch) and this was putting to much stress on the tyre walls making them unsafe and prone to blow-outs.
The double-chambered is designed to allow lower pressure in the tyre (thus giving it a bigger contact patch) while showing a higher pressure if a reading is taken from the valuve, so the higher pressure would be in the 2nd chamber and not in the tyre itself. So if the FIA take a tyre pressure reading before the race while the cars are on the grid, they will/may get a higher reading (from the 2nd chamber) than is actually in the tyre itself. This will equalize during the race as the pressure from the 2nd chamber leaks slowly into the tyre, but as they only use the tyres for a set number of laps they can gain an advantage for some of the laps that tyre is used for.
Point two, contact patch.
You are correct that Pirelli would want the biggest contact patch, but there is a trade off with the strength of the tyre sidewall and weight. As you will be aware tyres are under massive forces during a race, the cornering speeds and heat generated put massive pressure on the tyre walls and those walls are built to operate best at a set pressure, if they are running at a lower pressure they can "bulge out" the sidewalls, degrading the strength of the construction and make the tyre unsafe.
I hope that helps
1%er
Well-Known Member
Yes they are, when electronic aids were banned, including traction control for the 1994 season, Benetton and Schumacher continued to use it, to engage it they had a very long and detailed method, they selected a mode that wasn't listed on the steering wheel (mode 13 iirc) the break peddle needed to be depressed and the car in neutral (plus other things) and that would activate the hidden traction control software, they would go through this process while on the grid. The FIA did find out eventually that the software was there (other drivers said they could both see and hear that the car was using traction control) but the FIA couldn't prove 100% that it was activated during a race. Max Mosley has also stated that "a team was using a hidden version of traction control" but he didn't name the team.Sneaky those teams eh !!
Brabham (Bernie's team) also used to run Nelson Piquet's car underweight and add weight to the car before the end of race scrutineering, are just two of the better known ways teams cheated.
Teams will do anything to gain an extra tenth of a second.
Bakunin
I am Noodle's bitch.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Video showing the differences between 2016 & 2017 aero-design
Are McLaren on Drugs?
Eric Boullier Racing Director of McLaren believes McLaren-Honda can outpace Scuderia Ferrari at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix due to their chassis. He said "On paper we could be between six and eight, I think". Boullier doesn’t believe Ferrari is a threat "Ferrari, not sure. Not sure Ferrari is a threat, Red Bull, definitely, Toro Rosso, who have quite a good car, and Mercedes”.
Boullier rates the chassis of the MP4-31 as the third best on the 2016 grid "Last year we were third, but close with Williams and Ferrari,” he said “Now it is Mercedes, Red Bull, ourselves, then Ferrari, Toro Rosso and Williams. They are clearly behind now”.
Then Ron Dennis pops-up to claim that McLaren will be the next team to win a championship "I honestly believe that the next world champions after Mercedes will be McLaren," Dennis told BBC Sport. "We'll get to that goal before other people. It is challenging but I have a firm belief in the technical competence of our people and a firm belief in Honda".
Personally I'd love to see McLaren fighting at the front and with the new aero-packages for 2017 the field will be much more level from the chassis prospective but it is the Honda power-unit that needs work.
Vintage McLaren dropped on track from crane in Monaco during race
Over the weekend during an historic Grand Prix a McLaren was dropped on the track during a race. Fortunately, the cars were already under a yellow flag. The safety-car can be seen charging down the pitts to intercept the racers but just doesn't make it and as the cars slow down a Tyrell goes into the back of an Avon. Expensive mistake
Are McLaren on Drugs?
Eric Boullier Racing Director of McLaren believes McLaren-Honda can outpace Scuderia Ferrari at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix due to their chassis. He said "On paper we could be between six and eight, I think". Boullier doesn’t believe Ferrari is a threat "Ferrari, not sure. Not sure Ferrari is a threat, Red Bull, definitely, Toro Rosso, who have quite a good car, and Mercedes”.
Boullier rates the chassis of the MP4-31 as the third best on the 2016 grid "Last year we were third, but close with Williams and Ferrari,” he said “Now it is Mercedes, Red Bull, ourselves, then Ferrari, Toro Rosso and Williams. They are clearly behind now”.
Then Ron Dennis pops-up to claim that McLaren will be the next team to win a championship "I honestly believe that the next world champions after Mercedes will be McLaren," Dennis told BBC Sport. "We'll get to that goal before other people. It is challenging but I have a firm belief in the technical competence of our people and a firm belief in Honda".
Personally I'd love to see McLaren fighting at the front and with the new aero-packages for 2017 the field will be much more level from the chassis prospective but it is the Honda power-unit that needs work.
Vintage McLaren dropped on track from crane in Monaco during race
Over the weekend during an historic Grand Prix a McLaren was dropped on the track during a race. Fortunately, the cars were already under a yellow flag. The safety-car can be seen charging down the pitts to intercept the racers but just doesn't make it and as the cars slow down a Tyrell goes into the back of an Avon. Expensive mistake
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
It looks lovely today.
The Mercs are doing a bit of a tyre test on the purple-coded ultra-soft tyres.
Installation laps apart, they've been the only cars on track for a while.
They reckon about 20 laps endurance for these tyres. Hammy has been on them for 8 laps and he's still setting purple times. Over 2 seconds faster than last year's best times.
The Mercs are doing a bit of a tyre test on the purple-coded ultra-soft tyres.
Installation laps apart, they've been the only cars on track for a while.
They reckon about 20 laps endurance for these tyres. Hammy has been on them for 8 laps and he's still setting purple times. Over 2 seconds faster than last year's best times.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Bianchi family to sue over his death
The family have engaged a firm of British Solicitors to sue Marussi, the FIA and FOM over his death at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in October 2014. Julian Chamberlayne acting for the family said "Jules Bianchi’s death was avoidable, the FIA Panel Inquiry Report into this accident made numerous recommendations to improve safety in Formula One but failed to identify where errors had been made which led to Jules’ death. It was surprising and distressing to the Bianchi family that the FIA panel in its conclusions, whilst noting a number of contributing factors, blamed Jules. The Bianchi family are determined that this legal process should require those involved to provide answers and to take responsibility for any failings. This is important if current and future drivers are to have confidence that safety in the sport will be put first. If this had been the case in Suzuka, Jules Bianchi would most likely still be alive and competing in the sport he loved today".
Rain expected on Sunday in Monaco
A band of moderate rainfall is expected to arrive from the west around the time of Sunday’s race. However the build-up to the race is expected to be dry, with bright and sunny conditions forecast for qualifying. A largely cloudless day will see temperatures peak at around 24C while the grid for the race is being set.
New visor tear-offs rule starts in Monaco
From this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix the FIA has banned drivers from throwing the tear-off strips away, although no penalty for the indiscretion has yet been determined. Drivers and teams must now find alternative ways of disposal, with the most likely place being some sort of receptacle in the cockpit of the car.
"It [the rule] is fixed now, so we cannot now throw them out of the car. We have to find a way of putting them somewhere else," said Button. "There are many different ideas people have come up with. We can stick them in the cockpit in different places. It's not the easiest thing to do, especially when we have been removing tear-offs for 20 years of our life and suddenly you can't take them off. It's difficult. Even when you know you have to stick them in the car, you tear them off and your hand is in the air, it's flying around and you are trying to pull it back into the cockpit to stick it somewhere. With the first race being Monaco where you have to put it inside the car and not let go of it is tricky for everyone".
The family have engaged a firm of British Solicitors to sue Marussi, the FIA and FOM over his death at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in October 2014. Julian Chamberlayne acting for the family said "Jules Bianchi’s death was avoidable, the FIA Panel Inquiry Report into this accident made numerous recommendations to improve safety in Formula One but failed to identify where errors had been made which led to Jules’ death. It was surprising and distressing to the Bianchi family that the FIA panel in its conclusions, whilst noting a number of contributing factors, blamed Jules. The Bianchi family are determined that this legal process should require those involved to provide answers and to take responsibility for any failings. This is important if current and future drivers are to have confidence that safety in the sport will be put first. If this had been the case in Suzuka, Jules Bianchi would most likely still be alive and competing in the sport he loved today".
Rain expected on Sunday in Monaco
A band of moderate rainfall is expected to arrive from the west around the time of Sunday’s race. However the build-up to the race is expected to be dry, with bright and sunny conditions forecast for qualifying. A largely cloudless day will see temperatures peak at around 24C while the grid for the race is being set.
New visor tear-offs rule starts in Monaco
From this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix the FIA has banned drivers from throwing the tear-off strips away, although no penalty for the indiscretion has yet been determined. Drivers and teams must now find alternative ways of disposal, with the most likely place being some sort of receptacle in the cockpit of the car.
"It [the rule] is fixed now, so we cannot now throw them out of the car. We have to find a way of putting them somewhere else," said Button. "There are many different ideas people have come up with. We can stick them in the cockpit in different places. It's not the easiest thing to do, especially when we have been removing tear-offs for 20 years of our life and suddenly you can't take them off. It's difficult. Even when you know you have to stick them in the car, you tear them off and your hand is in the air, it's flying around and you are trying to pull it back into the cockpit to stick it somewhere. With the first race being Monaco where you have to put it inside the car and not let go of it is tricky for everyone".
1%er
Well-Known Member
Jenson Button leaving at the end of the season rumour
Rumours have intensified over the last week that Jenson will be replaced by Stoffel Vandoorne in 2017. Vandoorne was the dominant champion of the GP2 series last year and was impressive on his F1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix. McLaren chairman Ron Dennis has described Vandoorne as an "integral part" of the team's future, while warning other teams that the driver isn't for sale.
So what next for Jenson? He isn't short of option having been link with a drive at Williams, a season in the World Endurance Championship, he has often spoken about wanting to drive at Le Mans and the works Porsche team have offered him a drive in the past and of cause he could also take a job on Top Gear the TV show. One thing is for sure, if Jenson doesn't get an F1 seat next season we are sure to see him on our TV screens somewhere.
New visor tear-offs rule scrapped
Just one day after introducing the "new" tear-off rule it has been scrapped. FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting decided to lift the ban with immediate effect. "I have decided, based on discussions with the drivers, they are likely to be put in more danger trying to dispose of tear-offs in the cockpit than they are from a tear-off on the track. With this in mind I felt the best thing to do was exercise common sense and ask the drivers to simply keep the amount of visors they use to an absolute minimum, bearing in mind of course that this will vary due to a number of factors" he told reporters.
McLaren celebrate 50 years of Grand Prix racing
To celebrate McLaren’s 50 years of Grand Prix racing, which began with Bruce McLaren’s inaugural entry in F1 at Monaco in 1966, here is a short film that the team has created.
Rumours have intensified over the last week that Jenson will be replaced by Stoffel Vandoorne in 2017. Vandoorne was the dominant champion of the GP2 series last year and was impressive on his F1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix. McLaren chairman Ron Dennis has described Vandoorne as an "integral part" of the team's future, while warning other teams that the driver isn't for sale.
So what next for Jenson? He isn't short of option having been link with a drive at Williams, a season in the World Endurance Championship, he has often spoken about wanting to drive at Le Mans and the works Porsche team have offered him a drive in the past and of cause he could also take a job on Top Gear the TV show. One thing is for sure, if Jenson doesn't get an F1 seat next season we are sure to see him on our TV screens somewhere.
New visor tear-offs rule scrapped
Just one day after introducing the "new" tear-off rule it has been scrapped. FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting decided to lift the ban with immediate effect. "I have decided, based on discussions with the drivers, they are likely to be put in more danger trying to dispose of tear-offs in the cockpit than they are from a tear-off on the track. With this in mind I felt the best thing to do was exercise common sense and ask the drivers to simply keep the amount of visors they use to an absolute minimum, bearing in mind of course that this will vary due to a number of factors" he told reporters.
McLaren celebrate 50 years of Grand Prix racing
To celebrate McLaren’s 50 years of Grand Prix racing, which began with Bruce McLaren’s inaugural entry in F1 at Monaco in 1966, here is a short film that the team has created.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Good morning
Are Mercedes sand-bagging or are we really looking at a 3 way fight for pole
I think the Monaco geography laughs at qualifying pace. Even the fastest cars can be baulked, backed up, yellow flagged, etc.
Certainly several drivers and cars are fast enough. But they need the gods on their side in at least one session.
