F1 2016

[1%er]

Monza deal almost done
While no contract has yet been signed the deal with FOM appears to have been sorted-out, what seems to be holding things up at the moment is the financial arrangements about who is going to foot the bill for the improvements needed to the circuit. Weeks ago it was reported in the Italian press that the Auto-clubs, local, regional and national government money had been secured for the hosting fee. I think this is what Bernie means when he says "I don't know what's going to happen. It's a little bit Italian at the moment. The only people that can sort this out are the people that are currently involved in Italy", he went on to say "There's no deadline. They can take as long as they like, provided it's by the end of this month".

Are Alfa Romeo about to join the Grid
There were lots of stories in the Italian press over the weekend reigniting the rumor that Alfa Romeo may well soon be rejoining the F1 grid. It would make sense for Fiat to have an F1 team now that Ferrari are separated (but not completely divorced) from Fiat/Chrysler. Ferrari are no longer a Fiat company/brand, while Fiat still hold around 24% of the shares the recent flotation of Ferrari means it is once again an independent car company.

Sergio Marchionne is still the boss at Ferrari and CEO of Fiat (along with many other business interests) he is reported as saying he wants to see Alfa Romeo back in F1. A friend in Italy says, the reports in the papers are a bit contradictory, some claim Alfa Romeo could come back as an independent constructor with their own chassis and power-unit, while others report they could be like Haas, with their own chassis (using many Ferrari parts) and a Ferrari power-unit.

Could Alfa Romeo beat Aston Martin/Diageo to the punch and buy Force India or may be they could buy Scuderia Toro Rosso who already run Ferrari power-units and have massive Italian links?

Could Holland soon be back on the F1 circus
The former Dutch F1 Zandvoort circuit has just been sold to a company called Chapman Andretti Partners BV (who have brought the lease), does this mean it could once again host F1 races? While parts of the old track have now become Centre Parcs and a holiday village, there is still a full racing track there as a new track was built on existing land. With Max Verstappen rejuvenating interest in F1 in Holland it isn't out of the question, but there would be considerable work needed for it to happen.

Other news
It seems that F1 coverage in Spain is going to be pay-to-view only.
Carmen Jorda seems to be getting a lot of stick in the press as "a token women" in F1, because she has no qualifications to be there.
Vijay Mallya may be forced to sell his share of Force India if Roy Subrata offloads his shares.

 

[Bungle73]

 

[1%er]

Ferrari released a video last week almost exactly the same, but the Mercedes sounds better.

Link to Ferrari video mentioned above

This time next week we should have a better understand of what the cars sound like on track

 

[pengaleng]

I have missed three seasons, well four if you count the last year I was with my ex and he'd watch them all at stupid o'clock in the morning, I am determined not to miss another one, can anyone do a brief synopsis? I know that guy died, that was a shame

I am excited about the possibility of holland

oh good I just noticed I'm back in time to see Maldonado has fucked off

bye felicia!

 

[Limejuice]

can anyone do a brief synopsis?

In the last two years:

Hamilton:

Rosberg:

Alonso:

Button:

Vettel:

Kimi:

Other drivers:

Mercedes:

McLaren:

Other teams:

Bernie & Partners:

Promoters:

I trust that's clear enough.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

In the last two years:

Hamilton:

Rosberg:

Alonso:

Button:

Vettel:

Kimi:

Other drivers:

Mercedes:

McLaren:

Other teams:

Bernie & Partners:

Promoters:

I trust that's clear enough.

That is the single best summary of current F1 I've ever seen

 

[pengaleng]

that clears things up

when is the first race, lads? is it still on sky?

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

that clears things up

when is the first race, lads? is it still on sky?

On the Sky F1 channel if you can stomach giving money to Murdoch, otherwise this year it's going to channel 4, with some races live and highlights for the others. First race is Australia, March 20th.

 

[pengaleng]

safe we have sky here, so all I need to do is connect my box up and am good to go raaa am well excited about racing

 

[Gromit]

That is the single best summary of current F1 I've ever seen

Just missing something to cover the power unit embarrassment.

 

[Supine]

safe we have sky here, so all I need to do is connect my box up and am good to go raaa am well excited about racing

You might need to pay extra for their F1 channel

 

[Gromit]

You might need to pay extra for their F1 channel

It's part of the Sports Package. Not available separately.

 

[Bungle73]

It's part of the Sports Package. Not available separately.

Yes it is. If you have the HD pack you get it gratis.

 

[Limejuice]

that clears things up

when is the first race, lads? is it still on sky?

Sorry, I was being flippant.

Welcome to the F1 fray.

Try to tune in here during race times. There are usually a few posters watching live, and posting simultaneous comments like:

FFS - Maldonado

and

Did Kimi just tell his engineer to..?

Mind, the first race in Australia starts at 5.00 am UK time (Sunday March 20th), so that might be, um, quiet.

 

[1%er]

Final driver seat Rumors
There are a couple of rumors doing the rounds with regards to who will take the last available seat in F1 driving for Manor. Rio Haryanto the Indonesian driver who is sponsored by the country’s state oil company is the front runner as he has the biggest bag of cash (it has been reported in some UK papers that he already got the seat), but today reports in the Finnish newspapers are claiming that the seat will be shared by 3 drivers who will each race in 7 Grand Prix, Rio Haryanto will take the first couple of races and then reappear for the rounds in Asia later in the season, Alexander Rossi the American driver will take the races in the Americas plus others elsewhere and Will Stevens the English driver will cover the European races.

Formula 1 rules do allow for a maximum of four drivers to race for a team in the same season and the 2nd option would possibly bring in more driver sponsorship for the team, the one thing that makes me question the second option is that Will Stevens management have said recently that his is looking for a drive in an American series in 2016 with the hope of returning to F1 in 2017, although no contract has yet been signed. Manor F1 are expected to make an announcement before testing starts next week, so we should soon know for sure. For the team it doesn't really make much difference if they have one driver or 4, as drivers don't "win" money, it is only the position of the team in the constructors championship that brings money in from racing.

Could Silverstone be about to be sold
As mentioned above the Tata group had shown interest in buying Silverstone through its Jaguar Land Rover division. The track currently owned by the British Racing Drivers Club through its company Silverstone Circuits Ltd, which has been in financial trouble for many years and can't really afford to modernism the circuit much beyond its recent improvements. It seems that that the BRDC is to hold a forum for its members on the 24th February to discuss the possible sale of the circuit and could call an Extraordinary General Meeting of the club as early as March 16 to approve the sale.

What effect if any could this have on F1 races. It is thought that FOM will have a clause in its contracts with circuits that if a new owner takes over they can cancel there contract to hold F1 races, but it is believed this is unlikely to happen in this case as they have a contract until 2026 to hold Grand Prix there and there are very limited options for the race to be held anywhere else in the UK. It is also thought that if Silverstone is sold the track would be leased back to the BRDC while the other areas of the circuit could be developed by Tata.

It is seen as a win win deal for everyone as the sale would give the BRDC some cash reserves to fund future development of the track and also some money in the bank to help cover the hosting fees for future F1 races.

 

[pengaleng]

lol I know about the F1 thread

I gotta find out what sky package we got ffs

and yes FFS Maldonado I'm glad he's fucked off this season cus I don't think I could bear watching that wasteman

I have a soft spot for kimi you gotta love a dude who said live on air he was having a shit when Schumacher did that award shit has massa retired? or is he still going? sorry I don't watch the news or fuck all

I like the news things here tho ^^

oh god where is brundle now? he still commenting?

 

[1%er]

has massa retired? or is he still going?

Massa still racing, driving for Williams who had the fastest car through the speed trap in most races last year. 2016 is likely to be his last season.

If you don't have the F1 package with Sky, all the races can be watch for free online

 

[pengaleng]

ahhhhh massa <3

alonso still a cunt I take it?

 

[1%er]

Driver line-up complete
As expected the guy with the most cash get the final seat at Manor, Rio Haryanto has been "confirmed" as Manor F1 driver (that is what their website says, if they really do have a wordpress site).

Here is the driver line-up for 2016:

Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg
Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen
Williams-Mercedes: Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa
Red Bull-TAG (Renault): Daniil Kvyat, Daniel Ricciardo
Force India-Mercedes: Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg
Renault: Kevin Magnussen, Jolyon Palmer
Toro Rosso-Ferrari: Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr
Sauber-Ferrari: Felipe Nasr, Marcus Ericsson
McLaren-Honda: Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button
Manor-Mercedes: Pascal Wehrlein, Rio Haryanto
Haas-Ferrari: Romain Grosjean, Esteban Gutierrez

Have Honda made the step forward they need
Speculation around the Honda 2016 power-unit is rife, it is reported that they have sorted-out the problems with the energy recovery system. However, more recently, there has been talk of reliability problems related to new components on the power unit. Sources have suggested that endurance testing of the new engines on the dyno has not yet hit distance targets, specifically in the turbo area of the power unit. That has even prompted talk that Honda could, as a last resort, use 2015-spec parts during testing if reliability of the new components does not come up to scratch.

Reacting to the latest speculation, a Honda spokeswoman made it clear that it was too early to state anything definitive about where the company was at, as the true picture would only emerge over the next two weeks, "Reports on Honda's power unit performance and reliability are unfounded and speculative, and we ask fans and media alike to treat them as such, we will not know exactly where we stand until we finish the eight days of testing in Barcelona, so until then we have no further information. We are looking forward to getting back on the track".

I guess we will see next week

 

[pengaleng]

I have some new names to learn

 

[1%er]

The F1 Commission is a Cartel and anti-competitive
Who said that, Force India and Sauber? Well no, on the first day of testing for the 2016 season Bernie has thrown his toys out of the pram and is claiming that the F1 Commission is a Cartel and anti-competitive given that the two big engine manufacturers effectively have right of veto to rule changes until 2020. He also had a go at Jean Todt claiming he has lost interest in F1 and should hand over responsibility for Formula 1 to someone else.

“I wouldn’t spend my money to take my family to watch a race. No way. What's the point when you pretty much know…that Lewis Hamilton will probably put the car on pole and more likely than not win the race, and the other Mercedes will be on the podium" he went on to talk about the F1 commission, "This sort of thing is what is commonly known as a cartel and cartels are illegal. We are running something that is illegal. On top of all that it is anti-competitive", with regards to Jean Todt and the FIA he said “Jean, unfortunately, has become a diplomat. He is doing a very good job for road safety. But his interest in Formula 1 is purely a result of being president of the FIA…. He doesn't look to do anything that might destabilize what he really wants to do in the UN. He should carry on with the other stuff, but hand over responsibility for Formula 1 to someone else”.

He also suggested mixed grids as a way to create more entertaining racing, "I would keep qualifying as it is. The guy who is quickest would still have his number of poles recorded for history. But then he could start, say, 10th based on his pole and where he stands in the championship. We are looking at exactly how we could do it. The guy who is third fastest in qualifying would start, say seventh or eighth. That is better than totally reversed grids because all you get with them is the man at the back getting past the slower guys at the start of the race. This way makes it competitive between guys of similar speed. It won't be easy to get past people".

It will be interesting to see how the European Union competitions commission react to his comments, I'm sure he would like to see them have another look at F1 as the result of any inquiry would put more power in the hands of FOM.

First morning of testing
While the teams are just shaking down the cars and looking at set-up and aerodynamics, we see that Vettel topped the time sheet by 1/2 a second and Lewis managed to do over 113 laps.At the lunch break, Valtteri Bottas was third fastest for Williams with Daniel Ricciardo forth for Red Bull. McLaren who need massive improvements were 2.7 seconds behind the Ferrari. Romain Grosjean driving for Haas lost his front wing and brought out the red flag, he was 8th fastest.

Timing sheet as they went for lunch

POS Driver Team/Car Best lap Gap Laps
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari SF16-H 1:24.939 36
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes F1 W07 1:25.409 0.470 66
3 Valtteri Bottas WilliamsFW38 1:26.091 1.152 43
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull RB12 1:26.704 1.765 20
5 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso STR11 1:27.180 2.241 35
6 Jenson Button McLaren MP4-31 1:27.691 2.752 35
7 Marcus Ericcson Sauber C34 1:28.165 3.226 36
8 Romain Grosjean Haas VF-16 1:28.399 3.460 13
9 Alfonso Celis Force IndiaVJM09 1:29.406 4.467 21
10 Jolyon Palmer Renault R.S.16 1:31.351 6.412 15
11 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Racing MRT05 1:33.455 8.516 8

 

[pengaleng]

ahhhh mixed grids would liven shit up a bit would be well exciting am excited about this possibility

 

[1%er]

Have Manor F1 employed Scott Tracy from Thunderbird's and dressed him like Steve McQueen to race their car this year?

 

[pengaleng]

:'D man looks like a right dickhead

 

[1%er]

Honda replace Yasuhisa Arai
It seem strange timing, but Honda have replaced their Formula 1 boss Yasuhisa Arai who leaves his job at the end of the month. With McLaren finishing 9th in the constructors championship and Honda failing to make any real progress through the season, I guess it was only a matter of time following their poor performance last season. his replacement is Yusuke Hasegawa who was previously managing officer and director of Honda R&D and chief operating officer of the advanced research division. CEO of Honda R&D Yoshiyuki Matsumoto will oversee the overall running of the formula 1 project. Honda will continue with the size-zero power-unit but have changed the turbine, compressor and MGU-H on the 2016 unit.

Speaking after yesterdays test Jenson said “With deployment (battery boost) we’ve made a good step forward, but with the power unit we’ve a lot of work still to do. “Honda have done a good job on working on the reliability and pushing the deployment very hard over the winter. But I don’t think any of us will be happy going to Melbourne with the power unit. There is definitely more to come from the first race. We need that”.

 

[Limejuice]

Honda replace Yasuhisa Arai
It seem strange timing, but Honda have replaced their Formula 1 boss Yasuhisa Arai who leaves his job at the end of the month.

The official line seems to be that it's part of their internal processes.

"Honda, which has struggled to master F1's new turbo hybrid engine technology since its return last year, said the move was part of an annual organisational change."

Yusuke Hasegawa replaces Yasuhisa Arai as Honda F1 chief

Having worked for Japanese companies, I can fully see how they'd place their own structure ahead of any project or development. I can also see that they'd rather eat broken glass than hint at criticism of a manager in public.

If I were the incoming manager I'd be a little nervous.

 

[1%er]

The official line seems to be that it's part of their internal processes.

"Honda, which has struggled to master F1's new turbo hybrid engine technology since its return last year, said the move was part of an annual organisational change."

Yusuke Hasegawa replaces Yasuhisa Arai as Honda F1 chief

Having worked for Japanese companies, I can fully see how they'd place their own structure ahead of any project or development. I can also see that they'd rather eat broken glass than hint at criticism of a manager in public.

If I were the incoming manager I'd be a little nervous.

Yes, that seems to be the spin (saving face is very important in some cultures), but last season there was a lot of friction between Arai and McLaren management, so I think he has been moved in an effort to improve relationships.

 

[Indeliblelink]

The "halo" head protection system, mentioned on the last page, is being introduced for all cars next year.
Head protection: Formula 1 agrees to bring in 'halo' for 2017

Good for driver safety but maybe not so good for spectators views.

 

[Indeliblelink]

New format for qualifying
F1 rules shake-up unveiled by FIA, featuring new qualifying format
"The new qualifying format, set to be introduced at the season opener in Australia on 20 March, will see the slowest drivers eliminated every 90 seconds after a timed period – rather than at the end of the three sessions – in hope of providing greater unpredictability.

The FIA also announced a “Driver of the Day” award which will be voted for by fans."

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

The "halo" head protection system, mentioned on the last page, is being introduced for all cars next year.
Head protection: Formula 1 agrees to bring in 'halo' for 2017

Good for driver safety but maybe not so good for spectators views.

How will it change any view? It's not as if you can see their faces now.