F1 2017
- Thread starter spitfire
- Start date
One race a season doesn't make
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
He was complaining quite a bit so they had to respond sooner of later. I'm still amazed with the resources they have that Mercedes often make 'scheduling' errors in feeding cars in and out of traffic.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Track position is everything and Vettel wasn't really closing on Lewis when they brought Lewis in, the gap appeared to be the same, Mercedes must have seen where Lewis would feed back in.
Still we have a long way to go and we'll get a fuller picture in a couple of weeks
1%er
Well-Known Member
I think Pat Symonds said 129 overtakes at last years Chinese GP and a look at the states, they say the China GP was a record for overtakes last season at 161, so I'm not sure who is right. But it looks like we will have a better pictures after the next race as to weather the cars can overtake or not.
Overtaking Records
Grand Prix
Overtaking Records
Grand Prix
- 161 : most overtakes in a dry race - 2016 Chinese GP [Shanghai]
- 144 : most overtakes in a wet or varied race - 2012 Brazilian GP [Interlagos]
- 1 : fewest overtakes in a dry race - 2006 San Marino GP [Imola], 2002 Hungarian GP [Hungaroring], 2002 Japanese GP [Suzuka], 1998 Monaco GP [Monaco]
- 4 : fewest overtakes in a wet or varied race - 1996 Spanish GP [Catalunya]
- 0 : zero overtakes in a race - 2009 European GP [Valencia], 2005 United States GP [Indianapolis], 2003 Monaco GP [Monaco]
1%er
Well-Known Member
Interesting news on power-unit meeting
This Friday there will be a meeting of F1 power-unit manufactures in Paris to look at the way forward for engines in the series, it was reported in the German press that Audi were sending a representative, more news today about this meeting saying that it isn't Audi but the VW group who are sending someone and that someone is Stefano Domenicali, the former Ferrari boss who runs another VW marque, Lamborghini. The report also say that as many as 8 manufactures will be present, including at least one other Japanese car maker and Cosworth. Mario Illien is also expected to attend, his company Ilmor was working with Renault and Red Bull during there troubles and is currently said to be working with McLaren.
VW motorsport boss Wolfgang Durheimer said "The situation is not predictable enough to make the kind of investment required. On the regulations front, there are a lot of rumours around the engine side and the supporting technology side. Before you commit the kind of money needed you must see five years of rules stability – there can't be the possibility of rules changes, of more or less engine cylinders coming in, or the hybrid system changing away from technology you are developing on road cars."
Could we see many more manufactures joining F1 in the near future or maybe they are looking at joining after 2020 when the new Concorde agreement will be in place?
Could we see Jenson back in a McLaren soon
There are a number of reports claiming that Alonso will not be staying at McLaren for much longer, if these reports are true the first chose for McLaren will surely be Jenson who is still under contract to the team. There was also an interview in the Spanish press yesterday with Toto who claimed that Mercedes tried to speak with Alonso after Rosberg left the team, but McLaren put a stop to it, warning "any approach would be illegal as Alonso is under contract and Mercedes could face legal action if they continued to contact him"
Plot to steal the body of Enzo Ferrari
Italian police have confirmed they foiled a plot to steal the body of legendary Formula One racing pioneer Enzo Ferrari and demand a ransom. 34 people had been arrested as part of a massive operation. Police said the plot was discovered during an investigation into arms and drug trafficking.
Ferrari is buried in an above-ground family tomb in the San Cataldo cemetery in Modena, near the Ferrari plant at Maranello in central Italy.
This Friday there will be a meeting of F1 power-unit manufactures in Paris to look at the way forward for engines in the series, it was reported in the German press that Audi were sending a representative, more news today about this meeting saying that it isn't Audi but the VW group who are sending someone and that someone is Stefano Domenicali, the former Ferrari boss who runs another VW marque, Lamborghini. The report also say that as many as 8 manufactures will be present, including at least one other Japanese car maker and Cosworth. Mario Illien is also expected to attend, his company Ilmor was working with Renault and Red Bull during there troubles and is currently said to be working with McLaren.
VW motorsport boss Wolfgang Durheimer said "The situation is not predictable enough to make the kind of investment required. On the regulations front, there are a lot of rumours around the engine side and the supporting technology side. Before you commit the kind of money needed you must see five years of rules stability – there can't be the possibility of rules changes, of more or less engine cylinders coming in, or the hybrid system changing away from technology you are developing on road cars."
Could we see many more manufactures joining F1 in the near future or maybe they are looking at joining after 2020 when the new Concorde agreement will be in place?
Could we see Jenson back in a McLaren soon
There are a number of reports claiming that Alonso will not be staying at McLaren for much longer, if these reports are true the first chose for McLaren will surely be Jenson who is still under contract to the team. There was also an interview in the Spanish press yesterday with Toto who claimed that Mercedes tried to speak with Alonso after Rosberg left the team, but McLaren put a stop to it, warning "any approach would be illegal as Alonso is under contract and Mercedes could face legal action if they continued to contact him"
Plot to steal the body of Enzo Ferrari
Italian police have confirmed they foiled a plot to steal the body of legendary Formula One racing pioneer Enzo Ferrari and demand a ransom. 34 people had been arrested as part of a massive operation. Police said the plot was discovered during an investigation into arms and drug trafficking.
Ferrari is buried in an above-ground family tomb in the San Cataldo cemetery in Modena, near the Ferrari plant at Maranello in central Italy.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
I think this encapsulates succinctly the problem Honda has.
The development metabolism is driven by corporate processes. Five-year life cycles. Inability to respond to sudden (and possibly sweeping) change. A need to integrate development into a bigger corporate picture.
I'd say that these aspirations were incompatible with the needs of F1.
Ilmor and Cosworth almost certainly "get it". The corporates - even Lamborghini with Domenicali on the bridge - want F1 to service their promotional and development needs first and foremost.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Honda, it seems, are being "tight-lipped" about supplying Sauber next year.
Honda tight-lipped on Sauber reports for 2018 engine supply
You'd think Sauber would want to hush it up out of sheer embarrassment.
Honda tight-lipped on Sauber reports for 2018 engine supply
You'd think Sauber would want to hush it up out of sheer embarrassment.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Potential new engine information post 2021
The current power-unit regulations are fixed until 2021, but the FIA and Liberty Media want to change them to make them simpler, cheaper and louder. Ross Brawn is also on board, declaring, "Before we think about a sustainable car concept for Formula 1, the engine must be clarified. Everything else depends on it".
Reports in the German press claim that the forerunner for the new power-unit is a V6 twin-turbo producing 1200 horse power but without the current MGU-H technology. The report says it is also possible that the batteries and turbochargers may be standardized, with the hybrid element of the engine being just the KERS unit.
Removing the MGU-H would make the power-unit simpler and cheaper, making the cars twin-turbo and keeping the MGU-H would make the power-unit far more complicated if it had to work off a twin-turbo system, so I think the MGU-H would have to go to meet the simpler and cheaper requirements, twin-turbos could also help to make the engine louder, so they'd hit all their targets.
Audi rule out joining F1 in the short term
Audi has ruled out racing in formula one, at least in the short term. Rumors Audi might be contemplating a foray were re-fired last week, when the Volkswagen brand was represented by Stefano Domenicali at the F1 engine meeting. But Audi's motor racing chief Dieter Gass has now moved to calm the speculation. "Formula one is basically interesting and still the top class of motor sport, but if you look at motor sport as a whole, there are currently no series except Formula E and DTM in which Audi must be represented".
But Audi isn't the only VW brand that could benefit from being involved in F1. Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche all have a long racing pedigree and any of those names would look great as an Formula One team, come on VW!!!! Bernie has gone so you can jump on-board now.
Antonio Giovinazzi will replace Pascal Wehrlein in China
Antonio Giovinazzi will take Pascal Wehrlein’s place at Sauber for the Chinese Grand Prix, Sauber has confirmed. With the next race in Bahrain just one week after the Chinese Grand Prix, Sauber say they hope to have Wehrlein back in the car “at the earliest possible opportunity either the Bahrain Grand Prix or the Russian Grand Prix”.
Giovinazzi is the reserve driver for Ferrari and did really well in his first race, he qualified 16th and finished 12th at a track he had never raced at before. He has raced at the Shanghai International Circuit before while driving in Formula Pilota China back in 2012 a race he won, so it will be very interesting to see how he gets on this weekend. With Kimi not having a contract with Ferrari for next season I wonder if Giovinazzi could be looking to replace him. Ferrari supply Sauber with power-unit and I'm sure they would like to see Giovinazzi replace Wehrlein for many more races, it is something to keep an eye on. Sauber have form with drivers being pushed aside, lets not forget what happened to Giedo van der Garde back in 2015
The current power-unit regulations are fixed until 2021, but the FIA and Liberty Media want to change them to make them simpler, cheaper and louder. Ross Brawn is also on board, declaring, "Before we think about a sustainable car concept for Formula 1, the engine must be clarified. Everything else depends on it".
Reports in the German press claim that the forerunner for the new power-unit is a V6 twin-turbo producing 1200 horse power but without the current MGU-H technology. The report says it is also possible that the batteries and turbochargers may be standardized, with the hybrid element of the engine being just the KERS unit.
Removing the MGU-H would make the power-unit simpler and cheaper, making the cars twin-turbo and keeping the MGU-H would make the power-unit far more complicated if it had to work off a twin-turbo system, so I think the MGU-H would have to go to meet the simpler and cheaper requirements, twin-turbos could also help to make the engine louder, so they'd hit all their targets.
Audi rule out joining F1 in the short term
Audi has ruled out racing in formula one, at least in the short term. Rumors Audi might be contemplating a foray were re-fired last week, when the Volkswagen brand was represented by Stefano Domenicali at the F1 engine meeting. But Audi's motor racing chief Dieter Gass has now moved to calm the speculation. "Formula one is basically interesting and still the top class of motor sport, but if you look at motor sport as a whole, there are currently no series except Formula E and DTM in which Audi must be represented".
But Audi isn't the only VW brand that could benefit from being involved in F1. Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche all have a long racing pedigree and any of those names would look great as an Formula One team, come on VW!!!! Bernie has gone so you can jump on-board now.
Antonio Giovinazzi will replace Pascal Wehrlein in China
Antonio Giovinazzi will take Pascal Wehrlein’s place at Sauber for the Chinese Grand Prix, Sauber has confirmed. With the next race in Bahrain just one week after the Chinese Grand Prix, Sauber say they hope to have Wehrlein back in the car “at the earliest possible opportunity either the Bahrain Grand Prix or the Russian Grand Prix”.
Giovinazzi is the reserve driver for Ferrari and did really well in his first race, he qualified 16th and finished 12th at a track he had never raced at before. He has raced at the Shanghai International Circuit before while driving in Formula Pilota China back in 2012 a race he won, so it will be very interesting to see how he gets on this weekend. With Kimi not having a contract with Ferrari for next season I wonder if Giovinazzi could be looking to replace him. Ferrari supply Sauber with power-unit and I'm sure they would like to see Giovinazzi replace Wehrlein for many more races, it is something to keep an eye on. Sauber have form with drivers being pushed aside, lets not forget what happened to Giedo van der Garde back in 2015
1%er
Well-Known Member
Is Bernie about to buy Interlagos
Interlagos (which means "between the lakes") the F1 race circuit in Sao Paulo is up for sale and needs to be brought by a private buyer if formula one is to continue in Brazil. The Mayor of Sao Paulo has said that no more public money can be spent on F1. Sao Paulo Mayor Joao Doria told Globo news "The privatization of the track is the guarantee of the continuity of Formula One, I understand that Formula One is important but with private money, not public money. It's perfectly possible for it to keep running with private money as a private track".
When asked, is there much private interest in the circuit he replied "He [Bernie Ecclestone] showed interest. He's going to participate in the auction for the track". But Bernie was his usual uncommitted self when asked about the Mayors statement, replying "They want to sell. They're not going to subsidise anything there. They're not going to put any money into it. They want to get rid of it. I haven't made any 'yes, I'm going to buy' or 'no, I ain't going to buy'. We'll wait and see". He also mentioned that Liberty Media are "probably going to think about stepping in to save the circuit".
Bernie is better equipped than most people when it comes to the value of the track. For many years he has moaned about the poor facilities at Interlagos, namely the cramped pit and paddock areas, so he is well aware of the cost involved in bringing the track up to F1 standards. As he now lives in Brazil, it is an investment he could make and easily keep an eye on things, he also owns Paul Ricard the circuit in France where the new French GP is to be help.
Despite being on the 2017 calendar as a "provisional" race Interlagos has now been confirmed as the penultimate race for the season.
Red Bull have a lack of downforce
I'm sure Adrian Newey raised an eyebrow when he heard Danny Ric say in an interview "I think for me at the moment, we don't have enough rear grip so downforce basically". Newey has for many years been known as the king of downforce, so I'm sure he was surprised to hear such comments. I personally think it is far to difficult to make such a judgement after having had just one race, I don't recall Ricciardo or Verstappen making such a comment during testing, so it may be that they just didn't get the set-up right for Melbourne.
Problems with set-up was mentioned by the team in an interview with Sky at Albert Park, Horner said that the team was "struggling to find a good set-up", so Danny's comments seem a little premature to me. It is clear from post-race TV shows that Ferrari and Mercedes appeared to have better rear-grip and I'm sure this will be highlighted during this up coming race weekend on Skys coverage, as it has been such a talking point in the F1 press.
Heavy rain expected all weekend in China
This could be very bad news for Lewis, he didn't take part in any wet weather testing pre-season, so this weekend will be his first time in the car with wet tyres. Both the intermediate and wet tyres supplied by Pirelli are entirely new compounds and as the contact patch is the only thing keeping the car connected to the ground. When asked about his lack of track time on the tyres Lewis said “I am not really looking forward to a wet track because I haven’t driven on the new tyres. Usually I like driving in the wet. But I am a little bit apprehensive. I have got to learn a lot in a short period of time because I have not driven on these tyres. I might go out and it might be exactly the same as it has in the past, but that is unlikely. I have got to go out and really learn as much as I can. The car might need to be put in different places but I will still drive like I always do”.
I hope it is a dry race as I'd like to see how the new cars do on a track where overtaking is relatively "easy", Melbourne is known as a hard track to overtake so it doesn't really give a good overview of the real situation, but China if dry should give fans and teams a much better view and understanding of the bigger picture.
While we are talking about China, the sizeable bump across the start/finish line that gave a number of drivers problems last year and caused Pascal Wehrlein to loose control during qualifying has been removed, that part of the track has been resurfaced now.
Interlagos (which means "between the lakes") the F1 race circuit in Sao Paulo is up for sale and needs to be brought by a private buyer if formula one is to continue in Brazil. The Mayor of Sao Paulo has said that no more public money can be spent on F1. Sao Paulo Mayor Joao Doria told Globo news "The privatization of the track is the guarantee of the continuity of Formula One, I understand that Formula One is important but with private money, not public money. It's perfectly possible for it to keep running with private money as a private track".
When asked, is there much private interest in the circuit he replied "He [Bernie Ecclestone] showed interest. He's going to participate in the auction for the track". But Bernie was his usual uncommitted self when asked about the Mayors statement, replying "They want to sell. They're not going to subsidise anything there. They're not going to put any money into it. They want to get rid of it. I haven't made any 'yes, I'm going to buy' or 'no, I ain't going to buy'. We'll wait and see". He also mentioned that Liberty Media are "probably going to think about stepping in to save the circuit".
Bernie is better equipped than most people when it comes to the value of the track. For many years he has moaned about the poor facilities at Interlagos, namely the cramped pit and paddock areas, so he is well aware of the cost involved in bringing the track up to F1 standards. As he now lives in Brazil, it is an investment he could make and easily keep an eye on things, he also owns Paul Ricard the circuit in France where the new French GP is to be help.
Despite being on the 2017 calendar as a "provisional" race Interlagos has now been confirmed as the penultimate race for the season.
Red Bull have a lack of downforce
I'm sure Adrian Newey raised an eyebrow when he heard Danny Ric say in an interview "I think for me at the moment, we don't have enough rear grip so downforce basically". Newey has for many years been known as the king of downforce, so I'm sure he was surprised to hear such comments. I personally think it is far to difficult to make such a judgement after having had just one race, I don't recall Ricciardo or Verstappen making such a comment during testing, so it may be that they just didn't get the set-up right for Melbourne.
Problems with set-up was mentioned by the team in an interview with Sky at Albert Park, Horner said that the team was "struggling to find a good set-up", so Danny's comments seem a little premature to me. It is clear from post-race TV shows that Ferrari and Mercedes appeared to have better rear-grip and I'm sure this will be highlighted during this up coming race weekend on Skys coverage, as it has been such a talking point in the F1 press.
Heavy rain expected all weekend in China
This could be very bad news for Lewis, he didn't take part in any wet weather testing pre-season, so this weekend will be his first time in the car with wet tyres. Both the intermediate and wet tyres supplied by Pirelli are entirely new compounds and as the contact patch is the only thing keeping the car connected to the ground. When asked about his lack of track time on the tyres Lewis said “I am not really looking forward to a wet track because I haven’t driven on the new tyres. Usually I like driving in the wet. But I am a little bit apprehensive. I have got to learn a lot in a short period of time because I have not driven on these tyres. I might go out and it might be exactly the same as it has in the past, but that is unlikely. I have got to go out and really learn as much as I can. The car might need to be put in different places but I will still drive like I always do”.
I hope it is a dry race as I'd like to see how the new cars do on a track where overtaking is relatively "easy", Melbourne is known as a hard track to overtake so it doesn't really give a good overview of the real situation, but China if dry should give fans and teams a much better view and understanding of the bigger picture.
While we are talking about China, the sizeable bump across the start/finish line that gave a number of drivers problems last year and caused Pascal Wehrlein to loose control during qualifying has been removed, that part of the track has been resurfaced now.
1%er
Well-Known Member
The FIA want the medical helicopter to be able to land at the track and the local hospital or an ambulance to be able to reach the local hospital with-in 20 minutes, if this is not possible the session will be cancelled.
The teams and FIA had a meeting today about changing the race from Sunday to Saturday because of the weather, but the FIA have said they believe the weather will clear somewhat for Sunday so the race will go ahead as scheduled. The FIA have issued a statement saying "the FIA is confident the weather for Sunday will not be as bad as some have feared, with the cloud set to be higher and windier conditions expected, the idea of a change [of race time] was swiftly ruled out".
This year will be the last Malaysian Grand Prix
The Malaysian Grand Prix was contracted until 2018 but they have agreed with the new owners that 2017 will be the last race at the circuit, this doesn't mean a smaller calendar next year but a bigger one as both France and Germany will be back on the list, making next season a 21 race calendar.
Liberty Media have made it very clear from day one of their ownership that they will support historic races and make every effort to keep these races on the calendar. They are also very keen to expand the calendar beyond 21 races. They are looking again at a race in Korea but at a track much closer to Seoul. The old track in Mockpo was extremely unpopular with both teams and fans, as it was in the middle of nowhere and had limited facilities. Liberty also want to expand races in the USA with talks currently ongoing with New Jersey, Las Vegas and Miami, claimed to be at an advance stage.
A statement from Liberty Medis said “We will have 21 exciting events to look forward to in the 2018 calendar, with the additions of the French and German races. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Sepang International Circuit for their hospitality and professionalism over the years, and their ongoing commitment to motorsport".
New cockpit protection system
The FIA has secretly designed a new cockpit protection system called the 'shield'. It's an evolution of the proposed windscreen that Red Bull designed and trialled at last season's Russian Grand Prix. The concept will be shown to the drivers at the usual Friday 5 PM briefing in Shanghai and looks to replace the 'halo' which has received a lot of criticism for the way it looks on a car. Head protection is set to take a step forward in 2018 following the fatal accidents of Jules Bianchi in F1 and Justin Wilson in IndyCar.
The 'shield' is a protective disc which is smaller than the Red Bull solution and has been integrated optically better into the chassis. However, it does not protect the driver from flying tyres, only smaller objects. The drivers will voice their opinion first, and then the engineers. If the decision to introduce the 'shield' should be put to a vote, it would be brought to the Strategies Group and the Formula 1 Commission. A decision on the concept must also be made quite soon, with April 30th being the deadline.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
No. I started at quarter to the hour.
