2020 f1

[WhyOne?]

9 days into 2020, so an F1 thread is well overdue!

Max has shown significant faith in Redbull and Honda to deliver a championship contesting car, having signed through to the end of 2023. Presumably he knows rather more than the rest of us about Honda's plans beyond the end of 2021?

The first (mis!)information regarding how the teams are looking for the coming season will come from the Barcelona tests, February 19 to 21, and 26 to 28.

Anyone here planning to attend any of the races this year? I'm in the advanced stages of planning a trip with my eldest to Hanoi in early April.

Across the pond, I see that Andretti racing are looking to have Fernando in one of their cars for the Indy 500. As they run Honda engines, I imagine that there will be some 'interesting' conversations going on behind the scenes!!!

[goldnsx]

What's the reliability of contracts in F1 nowadays (in the past some were not worth more than the paper they were printed on :))? I guess he has an exit clause. I hope to see him fitting for the CS.

My interesting in F1 is sleeping until the Barcelona tests and the first race.

[NZNick]

I'll be at Melbourne for the season opener - 56 days and counting until light out!

[WhyOne?]

https://www.planetf1.com/news/honda-nix-fernando-alonso-indy/

Just goes to show, you should never burn bridges!

[NSX 2000]

https://www.planetf1.com/news/honda-nix-fernando-alonso-indy/

Just goes to show, you should never burn bridges!


I wonder if it is the F1 thing or because he is in bed with Toyota at the moment.

[goldnsx]

Does he get paid or does he pay himself to race and get a chance for a so-called 'Triple Crown'?

[britlude]

So racing point becomes Aston Martin, red bull have Aston sponsorship until the Valkyrie is finished, and Torro Rosso becomes AlphaTauri.... Just to confuse things...

[britlude]

And it looks like they are looking at 2stroke engines for 2025.....

[WhyOne?]

... Just to confuse things...

As a bear of very little brain, I have always found the whole 'Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.....errr...with a Honda engine' thing quite confusing!

[Senninha]

Fred is on record (accidentally or otherwise) with his engineer conversations referring to the F1 engine as a ”GP2 power unit” or famously “the donkey in the back” ... embarrassing Honda was never a smart move, and aligning himself to Toyota was probably the last action to push Honda away ...

Lawrence owns Racing Point and having invested circa £180m of the £500m to top up the Aston Martin bank balance, he will rebrand for 2021 and bring Aston back as a race team after around 60 yrs absence. Some rumours suggest Fred is looking for an F1 return. With none of the top 4 likely to touch him, maybe Lawrence will take a punt for his experience?

6 days and counting ....

[goldnsx]

A return of Alfredo in a non top 3 team would be too embarrassing.

[WhyOne?]

..... Some rumours suggest Fred is looking for an F1 return.....

I think they are rather more than rumours Paul, Fernando has been quite open about his desire to return to F1 in 2021!

[Senninha]

I think they are rather more than rumours Paul, Fernando has been quite open about his desire to return to F1 in 2021!

So where might he secure a seat? Top 4 teams are out ...

Renault - risk that Esteban will embarass him but he has positive history with (old) Renault
Torro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) - no, as drivers come from Red Bull stable
Racing Point - as per last post .. a possibility
Alfa Romeo - nope, Ferrari feeder team
Haas - too many other issues to resolve
Williams - young driver team at present

Not a lot of choice me thinks ...

[Pride]

So where might he secure a seat? Top 4 teams are out ...

Renault - risk that Esteban will embarass him but he has positive history with (old) Renault
Torro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) - no, as drivers come from Red Bull stable
Racing Point - as per last post .. a possibility
Alfa Romeo - nope, Ferrari feeder team
Haas - too many other issues to resolve
Williams - young driver team at present

Not a lot of choice me thinks ...

Sounds like a good a time as any to start up "Alonso F1 Racing" if you ask me. (Driver/owner)

He could then concert all his efforts on gearing up for the 2025 season when apparently 2 stroke technology will come back into play, a good chance of having an almost level playing field for all the teams at that point as well I'm sure.

[britlude]

Isn't Williams the unofficial feeder team for mercedes??

[WhyOne?]

So where might he secure a seat? Top 4 teams are out ...

..........

Not a lot of choice me thinks ...

I agree.

For me, the two most likely homes for him are Renault (Danny Ric to Ferrari to replace a retiring/sacked Vettel) or Aston Martin (Fernando would certainly get them some extra attention)

[Senninha]

Danny & Charles at Ferrari would be a strong pairing ... and given they prefer WCC over WDC, it makes sense too ...

[Senninha]

The 2020 Ferrari has broken cover .... and looks just like the 2019

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.vettel-and-leclerc-reveal-ferraris-2020-f1-car-the-sf1000.XQ64BRkNj4fo1jHG0V7on.html

[Pride]

Interesting video here:

https://youtu.be/6Ou35wLYIWI

[WhyOne?]

A new innovation (and controversy!) In F1...'trombone' steering columns!!!

There must be frenzied activity going on in the design depts of all the other teams..

As an aside, F1 game/SIM creators must be looking forward to the challenge of modelling this! As for the SIM hardware...now obsolete!

[NSXGB]

The Dual axis steering is genius. Some are calling for it to be banned because it gives them an unfair advantage....derrr, that's the name of the game sunshine! Fair play, great chance for Hamilton to bag another world title!

[goldnsx]

Innovation is ok but I won't survive another season of Mercedes lapping anyone else.

Not sure if it's legal. I guess it's not.

[NSXGB]

Dual axis steering is legal this year but has already been banned next year.

[WhyOne?]

Yep, though the ban for 2021 wasn't a direct reaction to the Mercedes system.

The 2021 reg's are written in such a way that DAS would not be legal.

All in all, a stroke of genius by Mercedes. How may teams are going to throw resources at developing their own DAS systems for just part of 1 season?

[britlude]

I wonder if mercedes, reading the 2021 rules, may have prompted them to think of why the 'steering wheel can only rotate, nothing else' rule was in place and what else the steering wheel could do..... Or was the rule written after the FIA were aware of mercedes planned for this year....

[goldnsx]

Most teams are already working for 2021. Investing even more resources for DAS for only one year? Maybe not Williams or AlphaTauri but perhaps Ferrari and Red Bull. The other teams might concentrate on 2021, regarding 2020 as a testing year for 2021. DAS requires a new crash test, so big delay. So Mercedes will have the advantage quite a long time, maybe til the middle of the season. After that all it needs are 3rd and 4th places like Jenson Button won the CS back in 2009.

[Pride]

A couple of interesting videos for everyone.

DAS explanation:

https://youtu.be/8vXvCGD4ybw

https://youtu.be/2s7ScavfXwE

And what happened in Lewis's Mercedes 2 days ago

https://youtu.be/U_uKHNJLSQs

It would be great to see this as a switchable technology on a high performance road car.

[WhyOne?]

I wonder if mercedes, reading the 2021 rules, may have prompted them to think of why the 'steering wheel can only rotate, nothing else' rule was in place and what else the steering wheel could do..... Or was the rule written after the FIA were aware of mercedes planned for this year....

As I understand it, Mercedes have been discussing their development of DAS with the FIA for some time, to ensure their interpretation of the existing rules was the same as that of the FIA....making the system legal under the current rules. However, these discussions were concurrent with the drafting of the 2021 reg's, and secretly aware of the loophole Mercedes had discovered, and were exploring, the FIA used this knowledge to close it in the new regs.

[WhyOne?]

......
It would be great to see this as a switchable technology on a high performance road car.

Do you really think this has could conceivably have a tangible benedit in a road car?!

My best guess is that it will be a minimal gain even in an F1 car, with the biggest benefit b/likely to be an enhanced ability to manage tyre temperatures / performance / wear. Even the softest, most specialised road tyres are light years away from those used in F1.

[goldnsx]

Even the softest, most specialised road tyres are light years away from those used in F1.
That's certainly true. I don't see a benefit either on the road. Today's sportcars are already fast enough.
In F1 it's all about understanding the tires and keep them in their optimal window. I only see a benefit in F1 and we'll see how big it is. The advantage is having a lower aero restriction and a warmed up tire already at the entry of a turn.

[Pride]

Do you really think this has could conceivably have a tangible benedit in a road car?!

My best guess is that it will be a minimal gain even in an F1 car, with the biggest benefit b/likely to be an enhanced ability to manage tyre temperatures / performance / wear. Even the softest, most specialised road tyres are light years away from those used in F1.

Im sure you're probably right but maybe in this case as an optional extra, albeit very expensive, even if it's just for the ultimate track toy switch on the hyper performance cars that owners love to take to track days or maybe they'd just like to have bragging rights over their friends.

And also another excuse and opportunity for the manufacturer to make a lot of money on the request of the rich consumer as they tick the option extra box and at the end of the day the more it's talked about this year (and I'm sure it will be talked about a lot), the more the seed is set for it to be requested if it's seen to be successful on track.

[Senninha]

So Toto was at Williams till 2013, therefore he may have been aware of, and witnessed the onboard wheel heating innovation they ran for the 14/15 season until it got discovered. Generating extra wheel heat helped the tyres and subsequently the lap times ... is DAS the modern, openly engineered (with the FIA) replacement to that innovation?

Will others copy, I doubt it for a few months running. Could they counter its advantage? Yes. If you listened to some of the practice commentary, one of the commentators whilst admiring the engineering did suggest that a skilled driver would/should be able to work out how to use the ‘standard’ steering to generate extra tyre heat at the end of a straight to help the cornering grip.

If you watched the Mercedes in action and listened to a) the soundtrack and b) the commentators, this car is able to apply power early and keep off the brakes longer so there is very likely some further engineering brilliance at work that isn’t as obvious as the DAS system, that then combined with the rear suspension innovation is providing the drivers a car that (yet) again has raised the bar ....

At the moment it would be a fairly safe bet for 2 x 7th World crowns heading to Stuttgart ...

As for the rest of the field, Max is having fun whilst claiming not to have really pushed the car yet ... the Pink Mercedes could trouble the top 6 this year, along with McLaren who are just being very Mclaren of old, i.e. methodically working through their programme, rather Ron like I thought.

Williams were first off the pit lane which I hope bodes well for a move towards the mid field this year.

Next week may give a ‘slightly’ better indication but as we all know, nothing is clear cut until the lights go out down under ...

[goldnsx]

Next Friday afternoon should reveal the ranking. There's no reason for a team not to have a look what the car is capable of.

Williams had a lot of trouble during testing so far, I think the team with the lowest laps. Reanult with problems too. Well, better now than later.

[WhyOne?]

I thought Danny Ric, when asked about his long term future at Renault during the new car launch, saying 'he was taking calls' speaks volumes about his expectations of the year ahead!

I don't think we'll have a real impression of the true pecking order until after quali in Melbourne.

Ferrari can't be as far of the pace as the numbers suggest...can they.

Unfortunately, I struggle to see beyond the silver cars being the ones to beat.

[britlude]

making a DAS rack shouldn't be an issue for the other teams, after all they have the best minds, designers, and engineers at their disposal, and now they have a heads up to the concept idea!

even i sketched a possible solution....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49569100058_0863a56d17_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iwfAub)My DAS steering rack idea! (https://flic.kr/p/2iwfAub) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

[WhyOne?]

Good work Jonathan!

Sell that to Ferrari pdq!

Apparently, if the Mercedes system is to be copied, it's not just the steering rack which needs a bit of adjusting. The bulkhead on the driver safety cell has shifted a few inches to accommodate it. That to me doesn't sound like a quick fix?

[goldnsx]

According to the lap times Ferrari is sandbagging this year. I hope for them (and for the spectators) that it's that way.

Testing is a poker game. They can always stress on one single aspect (brakes, exit acceleration, turnes, straight line speed) while keeping the lap times high enough.

Ricciardo at Renault is like 'throwing peals at swine'.

[duncan]

DAS - "I don't see a benefit either on the road" I would say it's already here but under the name of all wheel or rear wheel steering. For road cars the premise has always been to increase the steering effect rather reduce it, initially in the name of low speed manoeuvring but now for high speed stability.
The solutions being bits of meccano under the car connecting steerable front and rear wheels [I'm looking at you Prelude] through to a stepper motor 'moving' a suspension pick up point [say Porsche 992]
Move the lower wishbone in to reduce track and get greater toe-out.
See attached for the 'simple' solution from Porsche.

13860
13863
13862

[goldnsx]

I was about to mention 'all wheel steering' like in the Renault Megane Trophy but the more relevant question is if it's really necessary to make road cars even faster? I'd say no. You can't drive these cars 'safely' on the road, I mean in a manner that is safe to others as well. After a crash induced by race driving on the road you'll end up in jail.

[WhyOne?]

I have been reading an interesting article on DAS and it seems that there may be scope to challenge it's legality depending on whether it is deemed to be wholly part of the steering system or also part of the cars suspension system...park ferme rules are quite different for the two systems:

"F1's sporting regulations dictate that a car is under parc ferme conditions from the moment it leaves the pitlane during qualifying until the start of the race.

Article 34.6 of the rules adds: "A competitor may not modify any part on the car or make changes to the set-up of the suspension whilst the car is being held under parc ferme conditions.

"In the case of a breach of this article the relevant driver must start the race from the pitlane and follow the procedures laid out in Article 36.2.

"In order that the scrutineers may be completely satisfied that no alterations have been made to the suspension systems or aerodynamic configuration of the car [with the exception of the front wing] whilst in pre-race parc ferme, it must be clear from physical inspection that changes cannot be made without the use of tools."

[britlude]

The irony with 'all wheel steering' is that was automatic with rigid rear axles and leaf springs, body roll induced rear wheel steering, fortunately in the right direction!!!

[WhyOne?]

McLaren withdraw from Australian GP.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51849163

I

[NZNick]

Saw Lando Norris this morning - we were doing the pit walk when he arrived do a track walk.
not sure what's going on - may be cancelled after all... Lewis isn't happy that it is still appearing to be proceeding.
First practice tomorrowlunchtime will be telling - hope to see as many teams and drivers as possible.

[WhyOne?]

Saw Lando Norris this morning - we were doing the pit walk when he arrived do a track walk.
not sure what's going on - may be cancelled after all... Lewis isn't happy that it is still appearing to be proceeding.
First practice tomorrowlunchtime will be telling - hope to see as many teams and drivers as possible.


Hi Nick.

I thought about you when I heard this news. I hope you can still make a good weekend of it, but I'd be surprised if the rave goes ahead now . Some positive news - the Haas personnel have tested negative.

Our trip to Hanoi is in tatters....even if the F1 race goes ahead (which I doubt) it is not now possible for people from the UK to enter Vietnam (visa waiver scheme suspended, visas not being issued....and our travel insurance co. don't want to know!)

[goldnsx]

They'd better let them race but without any spectators.

[WhyOne?]

They'd better let them race but without any spectators.
They're not going to race (at least not this weekend)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51849163

[NZNick]

Cars were running on track earlier this morning - we were planning to arrive an hour or so before F1 first practice starts, but that won't now happen.We saw other cars on track yesterday - F5000, TCR, Supercars and Porsche Carrera Cup, sat in our assigned seats for a while and had a good walk round the pits and the general admission areas.
Still gutted. Hopefully New Order will be playing tomorrow night...

[Senninha]

With the news changing daily it’s hard to know for sure, however latest news suggests this years championship won’t get going till at least May this year with the first 3 or 4 races suspended ...

[WhyOne?]

It's too soon for anyone to sensibly predict how things will pan out....so I'll have a go!!!

IF (that's a big 'if'!) they can get the circus back up and running by Monaco or Baku, I think the summer break will go, Abu Dhabi will.ne pushed to ~mid December making room for perhaps an 18 race season of they have a couple of triple headers (which will probably be 2-day race weekends.

Meanwhile, I can amuse (!) myself trying to claim back money for our abandoned Hanoi trip.

Safe travels home Nick.

[NZNick]

Thanks - New Order played and it was great! Back on topic, I doubt F1 will be more than a dozen rounds this year, if that.
Flying home to 14 days of self-isolation...

[WhyOne?]

Hope you got home without too much hassle and are now out of quarantine Nick?

I should be in Hanoi now, here's a picture I received from the circuit yesterday....

[goldnsx]

"No milk today, my love has gone away"

[NZNick]

Hope you got home without too much hassle and are now out of quarantine Nick?

Yes - we arrived back in NZ and had to self-isolate for 14 days which ended on 01/04/20. We left Melbourne on a half empty flight to Christchurch, then the sort hop down to Dunedin was on a 68 seat ATR72 which only had 19 people on board including crew. We were fortunate that we were allowed to take the connecting flight, as just a day or so later all international arrivals were made to self-isolate at hotels near the airport for 14 days before heading to home.

We got a full refund on the F1 tickets, and as we got to the track on the Thursday early enough to be let in on the pit lane walk where we had a look into the garages - only at Williams was there much activity - the guys were spannering to a soundtrack of Journey on George Russel's car...
We picked up our 2 copies of the event program (which I have yet to look at to be honest) at the Gold Members lounge (or whatever it was called) and had a bite to eat. The day on that Thursday was good, if tiring, as it was pretty hot.
Saw Lando Norris from a couple of meters away, but not to talk to, sat in our assigned seats and saw S5000 cars go round (VERY loud), TCR cars including some Civics, the Australian Supercars, and Porsche Carrera Cup cars.
We were planning to go back to the track late morning on Friday in time for FP1 at noon, but that didn't happen.
The rest of our time in Melbourne was spent meeting friends for dinner, swimming at St Kilda sea baths, going into the rapidly thinning out city to do some sightseeing / shopping and generally relaxing.
On the Saturday we had tickets to see New Order at the Sidney Meter Music Bowl (a partly covered but mostly outdoor venue in the botanic gardens) - and had an excellent time. The band's next show on the Monday at a Theatre venue was cancelled.
We met a friend for a drink in the early evening on the day before we left to come home, and Federation Square was almost deserted - there were literally only a dozen people in the Transport Hotel - usually there will be thousands of people on a normal weeknight.
The whole country is now in lock-down - similar to the UK, so my NSX hasn't been out for over a month now... and we have been trying to work from home for longer than most of our colleagues, but I don't feel that i am being particularly productive...

Stay safe and let's hope that we get to see some F1 action again one day - I'm not counting on there being anything at all in 2020.

[WhyOne?]

Please to hear you got back with minimum fuss and bother and have quarantined successfully.

It sounds like you managed quite an eventful trip and I daresay it isn't one you are going to forget in a long, long time!

It's good that you have received a refund on your tickets - the benefits of a 'cancelled' race? The Vietnamese race is 'postponed' and because of this, 'all tickets remain valid for the rearranged race, no refunds at this time'!

As for NSX's....mine remains stranded in Winter storage :(

[NSXGB]

Are we all getting exited for the coming weekend?

[britlude]

let me think as my original reply was deemed too short.....


meh!

[NZNick]

Have watched the 3 FP's and qualifying - good to see Lando & Alex up there, but can't see anything but a Merc victory. Max might get between the black cars though.
Telling that Ferrari are nowhere... and that the Merc clones are both top 10. George will be in the points (with a bit of luck)...

[britlude]

it was commented somewhere else, that P1-P19 were only 1.2 seconds apart in Q1.. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/results/2020/austrian-gp-451731/?st=Q1

so the closest the grid has been for years.... unfortunately mercedes weren't exactly trying, looking at Q3 times with a 1.3 second spread over the 10 cars.... https://www.motorsport.com/f1/results/2020/austrian-gp-451731/?st=Q3

[NZNick]

Well that was incident-packed!

[Senninha]

Great season opener, missed the crowds for pole and Lando’s first podium ... but he earned it with that final lap time!

So were back (or never left) Austria for the re-run albeit under a different name and track sponsorship ...

And whilst we were busy enjoying the racing, Alonso has snuck back into the paddock and landed himself the Renault seat for the coming few years ...

[NZNick]

Not an Alonso fan at all...
Less exciting than race 1, race 2 still featured a Ferrari meltdown, a decent showing for McLaren (especially in the closing stages (again), Red Bull being a bit more competitive, glimpses of lhope for Williams, and a bit of interest in the midfield battles.
Racing Point seem to be punching above their weight with the clone of last years championship winning car, much to Danny Ric's annoyance.
All the Ferrari powered cars are down on power this year, wonder why...?

[goldnsx]

Ferrari's engine seems to be a step back. Or the others took a bigger step forward.

[WhyOne?]

The Ferrari is slower now than before the FIA took a keen interest and came to that strange, clandestine arrangement with them.

Whatever cunningness they had developed has been removed and the engine is now a shadow of its former self.

[NZNick]

Exactly - if it were anyone but Ferrari, they would have been told they were cheating.

[Senninha]

So it would seem that Otmar and Stroll SNR will be a popular interview this weekend if the increasingly strong rumours of Vettel arriving for the Aston Martin rebrand continue to gather momentum ...

But which contract will they break ... Perez who consistently delivers (and brings loads of valuable sponsorship), or Lance, the nearly man who probably thinks he’s safe in Daddy’s car?

My guess would be keep Perez alongside Vettel and send Lance of to Haas or Williams with funding ...

Discuss .... :)

[NSX 2000]

Boring British GP on Sunday untill the 48th lap! Well done to Max, and if only Albon could string a weekend of being consistent on all 3 days he might finish higher up!

[WhyOne?]

Oh I don't know, if you ignored the top 3 there was pretty much non-stop action in the mid-field which was entertaining.

[NZNick]

How Daniil Kvyat walked away from that crash into a solid wall I don't know
Tyre management spoilt the spectacle, but came back to enliven the race in the final stages
Maybe time for Romain Grosjean to step aside from his role at the GPDA...
Good performance from all 4 British drivers (I include Albon - yes, he needs consistency)
Poor / unlucky for Racing Point
Nice to see Danny Ric enjoying himself
Looks like Vettel isn't being treated to the same Ferrari power unit as Charles. His is as mediocre as the other F-powered cars
Only 1 car lapped - and that was due to tyre problems, so the cars are closer together than in previous races

[goldnsx]

Tire choice is even a step softer next weekend.

[WhyOne?]

Yes indeed - softer tyres and higher temperatures.

Hopefully together they'll mitigate at least some of the Mercedes advantage - high temperatures do seem to the Merc's cars only clear Achilles heel.

It'll certainly be surprising to see anyone one-stopping.

[Senninha]

Lewis and Bottas to collect each other in turn 3, Hulk for the win with Lando and George on the podium ....



the stuff of dreams!

[britlude]

needs something to mix it up, they are trying to stop racing point from getting close....

it's all got so complicated with sporting regs and technical regs, it's turning into a farce.... if they just made the engines all suck air through a regulated orifice, have to complete the race on 100 litres of fuel, make the car fit inside a defined box, and everything else is free and unregulated, we might actually get some real innovative design and something a bit more interesting.

the way it's going/gone they might as well make it a single car formula, as, if you take all the livery off, you wouldn't be able to distinguish the cars anyway


oh, and stop the special treatment of ferrari. F1 isn't ferrari.... while we are on the subject, guessing the racing point 'controversy' is a handy distraction from the FIA/Ferrari engine farce and cover-up over the winter! (or will that only come up again if ferrari gets further up the grid again?)

[Senninha]

You wish came true Jonathan ... and the ‘something’ turned out to be tyres ...

So with some more hot races coming maybe the season may not be as predictable as we were beginning to think ...

[NZNick]

Congrats to Max and Red Bull for setting their car up for the race in Qualifying, not chasing pole position, but going with a strategy that suits the car. Well done to Alex for a series of great overtakes.
Mercedes looked as is they were really struggling the entire race.
Le Clerc seems to have a different car and engine to Seb, the Haas and Alfa drivers...
Why Racing Point pitted Hulk can only have one answer - to let Stroll through.
McLaren & Williams were a bit of a non-event and Danny Ric was unlucky trying to pass slower cars.

[NSXGB]

Congrats to Max and Red Bull for setting their car up for the race in Qualifying, not chasing pole position, but going with a strategy that suits the car. Well done to Alex for a series of great overtakes.
Mercedes looked as is they were really struggling the entire race.

Hopefully that will mean that in future races, the Mercs will have to cover that angle and the races up front will be much closer.
Hopefully The Hulk will be racing again in F1 next season.

[britlude]

hulk might be racing the rest of this season yet, how long does it take to get over and test clear of covid????

i mean the whole quarantine thing is to give time for the virus to show itself, assuming you enter the country with no symptoms, and if nothing after 10 days then you are good to go.... Perez has tested positive, so the quarantine period was irrelevant, he now has to wait til he's not flagging the covid test, and who knows how long that is.....

[goldnsx]

From what I've read Covid-19 can leave pretty undesired residuals like fatique and less concentration for example. Being a F1 driver is a pretty demanding task. Free of Covid-19 doesn't mean he'll be able to drive a F1 car. I hope Perez recovers fast without such issues.

[WhyOne?]

My understanding is that Checo's asymptomatic, so I wouldn't expect this to have any long term impact on his health.

Ther is another way we could conceivably see Nico in an F1 car this year...a red car! If the Ferrari / Seb debacle continues I could easily see one side or the other crying 'enough'!

So on to Spain and some nice hot weather. Does anyone know the tyre choices for this weekend?

[britlude]

Seb is already out at Ferrari , probably explains his sulky attitude there.

Carlos Sainz has been confirmed as his replacement already, Riccardo to McLaren, Alonzo to Renault .... Seb hasn't got many options, depends how much Aston Martin want a big name, and if Perez or stroll get dropped from stroll snr's race team...

[goldnsx]

Albon struggels with the RB16 like Gasly last year (maybe a little bit less) but they give him more time. The RB16 seems to be a wild horse only MadMax is able to tame.

I don't know the tire choice next weekend but it seems as if Pirelli has it in its hands to give more spectacle by going softer and raising the tire pressure.

[WhyOne?]

Seb is already out at Ferrari , probably explains his sulky attitude there.

Carlos Sainz has been confirmed as his replacement already, Riccardo to McLaren, Alonzo to Renault .... Seb hasn't got many options, depends how much Aston Martin want a big name, and if Perez or stroll get dropped from stroll snr's race team...

I meant Seb and Ferrari not making it to the end of this season together...whenever and wherever that might be!

In which case I could see Nico keeping Carlos's seat warm for him.

I see that Ferrari have admitted to finding a 'small' fault in Seb's chassis, hence he is getting a nice new one for this weekend. It'll be interesting to see what, if any, difference it makes.

[goldnsx]

Decided by the FIA today: no quali-, boost- or party-mode in qualifying from Spa on. So Spain will be the last race they can use it for qualifying. After that the ICE has to run in the same mode during the race as in qualifying. As hybrids they still can play with the electric components.

[britlude]

seems desperate measures to try and kill mercedes dominance.... i'm assuming they think mercedes is the only team that uses a 'party mode' for quali... so all the other teams won't be slowing by an equivalent amount with their own 'party mode' disabled????? (especially those also running mercedes engines...)

am i the only one that can see a flaw in this plan??

[goldnsx]

Maybe Mercedes profits the most of it. It would have been Ferrari last year.
On the other hand: squezzing out extra power of the ICE is very expensive in terms of engineering. You could see it as a mean of cost-cutting as well.

[Senninha]

seems desperate measures to try and kill mercedes dominance.... i'm assuming they think mercedes is the only team that uses a 'party mode' for quali... so all the other teams won't be slowing by an equivalent amount with their own 'party mode' disabled????? (especially those also running mercedes engines...)

am i the only one that can see a flaw in this plan??

I’m confused as to the benefit of this change ... and as you say Jonathan, they all have it now (questionable I guess on F powered cars this year) ...

Was there a chassis issue for Seb, guess we’ll never know for sure but despite the shocking strategy calls he did land it with some respectable points come the flag ...

[WhyOne?]

Ferrari claim not to have a 'Party' mode, but Renault and Honda both do. Maybe the ban will pull the times closer in Q3, but it's hard to see it making a significant difference to the way the cars line up each Sunday.

I'd imagine it'll add reliability (arguably not what F1 needs at the moment) and it can no longer be made available to drivers during the race.

All in all a pretty desperate move be the rule makers which, as far as I can see, will do little to shake things up.

[britlude]

Mercedes have said it may make them quicker, as they may put the party mode in the normal mode roster.....

[WhyOne?]

Mercedes have said it may make them quicker, as they may put the party mode in the normal mode roster.....

Is it not the case that the cars have to run quali and the whole of the race using a single engine mode? If so, I struggle to see party mode being of much help given the hard time it gives the ICU?

Assuming Racing Point were going to the same Party as Mercedes, I do wonder if this rule will knock them down the quali pecking order a little?

[Senninha]

Williams F1 - sold https://www.motorsportweek.com/2020/08/21/williams-identity-retained-as-f1-team-sold-to-investment-firm/

When I heard the news this morning I actually felt quite sad ... however, reading the press releases throughout the day and it reads as good news and not just because it means they survive ...

If only they could make it more aero efficient with the MB lumpin the back we could see George mixing it up well into the mid-field ... and then Bottas can step aside and let him in ... unless the plan is for him to replace Lewis and they are keeping Bottas along for the stability and manufactures titles ...

[duncan]

From commentary in Pistonheads there is reference to the Investment Company allegedly acting for and owned by a single family with the operation name of BCE. As a speculation in the posting that it could be (say) simIlar to the initials of Franks old friend; Bernard Charles Ecclestone.
And, hey, this announcement is made only days after the signing of a new Concorde Agreement for F1.
link https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing//topic.asp?h=0&f=228&t=1794326&i=2840

[Senninha]

‘IF’ it is Bernie behind this then that would maybe explain why Frank was happy t oinclude his 52% voting share ... speculation or not its an nice angle abut even better to see Williams remain with the retention of Williams above the door ... just need them to sort the aero issue and move up the grid ...

[WhyOne?]

It would seem.that coincidences do happen

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/11269304/persons-with-significant-control

[britlude]

Perez has announced he's leaving Racing Point, and it seems the way is now clear for Vettel to slot into that seat.... Now that really wasn't a surprise, was it ,for Lance Stroll to keep his seat there.... (He does seem to have had all the 'luck' with the results this year in the team)

[WhyOne?]

Great shame about Checo - he deserved that seat for all manner of reasons. He has handles himself with great restraint and dignity through all this I think.

....and in other news, Ferrari appear to have stumbled upon a fix for their performance issues and the no doubt detrimental effect this is having on marketing 'the brand'....they've painted their cars purple so that they no longer look like Ferrari's - genius!

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12474/12067543/ferrari-to-run-in-classic-burgundy-livery-for-1000th-race-at-tuscan-gp

[WhyOne?]

Predictably Seb to Racing Aston Point Martin

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/54098516

[britlude]

Oh for God's sake.... Just as they were making their mark.....

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/12087536/honda-to-quit-formula-1-after-end-of-the-2021-season

[Senninha]

Back to Renault power for RB and Max then ... clearly not selling enough bland hybrids to support the F1 investment ... shame but not really unexpected ... pretty sure neither MB or Ferrari would supply them and defo not enough time to bring a new player into the mix

[WhyOne?]

Good job Cyril and Christian get along so well.....

[Senninha]

Interesting interview with Christian in which, if I understood him correctly, he spoke about a possible option to ‘rebrand’ the Honda power unit to keep it in the back of the RB F1 Beyond the current end date ...

[Senninha]

Congrats to Lewis on a remarkably achievement ... seeing Mick present one of his fathers original helmets was a great gesture that could only have been bettered had Michael been able to hand it over himself ...

SO anyone else think Alfa will partner young Mick together with Kimi for at least one season help him grow into F1?

[NZNick]

^ it would make sense to have Mick S partnered with Kimi, but you just never know with F1, plus Giovinazzi is currently out-performing the old fella 3 points to 2...

[britlude]

Hmmm interesting developments at red bull.....


https://youtu.be/6aKxre1bqWA

[NSX 2000]

Hmmm interesting developments at red bull.....


https://youtu.be/6aKxre1bqWA


They keep on mentioning Miltonkeynes, and we all know who is based there..........MUGEN!

[Senninha]

Further to your thoughts Paul ...

[NZNick]

Drive to Survive on Netflix - just watched a couple of episodes on the start of the 2020 season - good stuff !!

[NSXGB]

I've binged the lot already. Really enjoyed it. If you have not seen the first two seasons, they are also well worth a watch.

[NZNick]

Just finished the 10 episodes - overall ok, but too much Stroll! Not enough Williams! Can only think that Stroll senior paid Netflix a lot of money for the promotion / advertising... First two seasons were much better IMHO.

[NSXGB]

There seemed to be a lot of bigger missed stories across the season, that you'd expect to be included; the Hulks cameos during the season, the George Russell appearance at Merc, Hamiltons record breaking moments.

[britlude]

whispers have it, don't be booking tickets for Monaco.....

[britlude]

ok, so the rumours were wrong

here's sundays monaco historic....

https://youtu.be/o3ZMEydQKog

3:25:00 66-72 F1
5:36:50 oops
6:16:00 72-77(?) F1 (watch prize giving too)
7:44:00 77-82 F1



the tiny firm i work for made most of the grids wheels for the 3 late F1 races, Michael Lyons came in and picked up some rims a couple of weeks ago!