Horner already asking for rule changes I see.
Renault back, McLaren faster...or just a Mercedes v Ferrari ding dong?
It'll be interesting to see how Ferrari do against Mercedes this year, I think it's fair to say that Ferrari have been improving at the faster rate so it may be championship #5 for Vettel (ugh). Can't see McLaren Honda doing very well but it would be nice to be surprised. Also there's every chance that Lotus Renault will go backwards before they can go forwards as well.
I think McLaren will surprise us....no way will they want a repeat of last season
All I see is another Merc battle this time a lot closer between the two and lots of teddies out of pram. Could we also see Rosberg replaced by Verstappen?
Hopefully merc and Ferrari both taking up the fight this year, mclaren a solid 4th, redbull floundering until horner swans off to become bernies official padawan, Williams sorting out their mechanical grip and pushing the lead 2 harder and most importantly Channel 4 doing a stellar job with the coverage.
I think anyone expecting a McL resurgence will be disappointed - there hasn't been any huge change in regulations so they've got to find 2 seconds a lap just to catch up with where Ferrari and Merc were last year, who in turn might gain a couple of seconds - so they've got to do twice as well as the best teams on the grid through winter, I don't see it happening. They can't just blame Honda either there's more wrong with that car than just power. Worse still McL don't have a habit of making things easy for themselves either - with little reg changes most teams will still designing their 2016 car with the fastest version of their 2015 car, not McL though, it's not Ron's way - they're start with a clean sheet and whilst Force India are refining aero, McL will still be battling packaging.
Anyway - I think it's Ferrari's year this year, they weren't far behind Merc and they've got that special Ferrari way of making a few tenths (it's called cheating).
They can't just blame Honda either there's more wrong with that car than just power
...or?
My understanding is that their problems are almost entirely engine based, it's layout means it's not delivery power, the KERS is mostly rubbish, and it's woefully short on development time (Merc has been developing theirs since 2007/8, Honda...2015). The car itself is one of the better chassis on the grid.
But yeah, they're still going to be low/mid pack at best this year
I don't know about that NickC - much like RB blamed Renault be all their woes I think McL are too quick to blame Honda, yes power is thier main issue, but even at Monaco they sucked and they sucked only marginally less in 2014 when they had Mercedes power.
P-Jay - MemberI don't know about that NickC - much like RB blamed Renault be all their woes I think McL are too quick to blame Honda, yes power is thier main issue, but even at Monaco they sucked and they sucked only marginally less in 2014 when they had Mercedes power.
Monaco wasn't too bad for them in '15. Think JB finished top 10 didn't he?
Anyway the 2014 car was completely different to the 2015+, McLaren restructured their design dept, took on Patrick Prodromou as their cheif aero designer, completely redesigned the suspension, etc etc.
From what I gather, their problems have been mainly down to the MGU-H not delivering enough power therefore they have been relying on their (also weak) ICE performance.
Mid corner speed traps show that the car is as good as most on the grid. It's problem is mostly the split smaller turbos, an MGU-H system that's so woeful that at the Belgian GP at the end of the Kemmel straight, the car was harvesting energy when everyone else was deploying it. It would give up half way round most circuits which meant at least a 160bhp drop in power, and while they closed the gap to a baseline of 'just' 50bhp on the Merc by the end of the season, the issues with the recovery system meant that they were as much as 200bhp down on the Merc. prompting Alonso's "GP2 engine" sarcastic comments.
I hear what you're saying regarding teams quick to jump on stuff "out of their control" for their woes, but Maclaren's [b]are[/b] entirely engine based.
Could we also see Rosberg replaced by Verstappen?
Yes, it's going to be interesting to see what happens with Verstappen.
1) Every team is going to want to sign him up
2) Red Bull have him under contract but don't have a championship winning car (or do they....)
3) Mercedes and Ferrari have the money and the car to tempt him with but:
4) Will Vettel and Hamilton want him as a team mate?
I think he'll stay at Red Bull for now. Which must be giving Ricciardo and Kvyet something to think about...
Pedestrian crossings in the race track would be a great idea.
Good point. And sex shops, obviously 😉 :
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sex-shops-on-motorways
I didn't see Horner asking for rule changes to mix things up a bit when they were winning loads.
Odd that eh? Wish they'd just get on with racing win or lose line the proper teams do...
I can't help feeling a little pessimistic about this year in F1. Boring cars, boring drivers (apart from a handful), boring tracks. Needs a big big shakeup. I hope some of the mid teams can vie for wins this year.
I can't help feeling a little pessimistic about this year in F1. Boring cars, boring drivers (apart from a handful), boring tracks. Needs a big big shakeup. I hope some of the mid teams can vie for wins this year.
I'm not as excited as usual either. I think it's mostly because the main challenge to Mercedes comes from Ferrari and Vettel, neither of which I like that much..
Boring cars? They'll probably hit all time peak downforce this year and are more powerful than they have been for years. The biggest problem with f1 is the number of people who've jumped onto the bandwagon of there being a big problem with f1. There are those who suggest that a lot of the negativity is being fed be bernie in an attempt to bring down the price of cvcs share, and he's doing a fine job so far.
Anyhow, Haas - aka Ferrari B - back markers or midfield contenders?
Anyhow, Haas - aka Ferrari B - back markers or midfield contenders?
Good question! 🙂
I would put them in front of Manor, Sauber, McLaren and possibly Lotus/Renault but behind Torro Rosso, Force India, Red Bull, Williams and the rest...
Haas will an interesting one - they could do what Aguri F1 did in their short stint, acting as a B team for Honda but often beating them..... The big difference is they are supposedly designing and making their own car but one cant help but think it may be a 2015 Ferrari in disguise.
I'm going for Hamilton to win again. Ferrari will be closer but I don't think they'll be quite quick enough to take the title. My thoughts though are that Ferrari have not been quick in qualifying for years and probably still won't be. As such they may occasionally get between the Mercs but generally they'll be behind. They may well have pace in the race and if that means overtaking I reckon Nico is more at risk than Lewis.
And unfortunately I do agree that the racing won't be that great because we're getting back to a position where overtaking is really hard as aero becomes more fine tuned and cars suffer more in the wake.
As for McL, I reckon on them heading up the midfield. Their chassis isn't perfect but it's known to be competitive and the engine will be on a par with the Renault from this year at least given there are clear and relatively easy fixes for the main issues. Closing the gap to Merc and Ferrari engines will be tricky in one season though.
I'm going for Hamilton to win again. Ferrari will be closer but I don't think they'll be quite quick enough to take the title
Coral would agree with you, they've put the odds for Hamilton to get his 4th World Championship at 8/13. Vettel is at 10/3.
I'm not so convinced. Ferrari are improving fast, and as much as I find him annoying I'm beginning to think that Vettel is a really, really good driver. Also the current Ferrari is being designed around him and how he likes to drive, and I feel that he has the ability to push the car beyond its capabilities. So, if I was a betting man, I'd put some coinage on finger boy.
Boring cars? They'll probably hit all time peak downforce this year
You'll have to forgive people for not being thrilled about the prospect of even more dirty air
Interestingly Coral are also giving McLaren 25/1 to win the Constructors, behind only Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. Either they are very behind the times or they know something we don't! 😉
I don't think I can remember a season when some-one wasn't complaining about something on the cars, too much downforce, to much mechanical grip, too much engine power, wrong type of engines....
It is what it is really.
I hope dallara will do a better job than they did for hrt. I'm not sure Renault / Lotus will have a better car then RBR so expect them to be behind but assume Torro Rosso to move up with their Ferrari 2015 PU.
WIll Mchonda will be quicker but be suffer more failures? I think engine reliability has been quite good with at least 1 car finishing for most teams 🙂 . I'm hoping for Vettel to do more standup comedy at the press conferences to make it more interesting.
Will Jolyon Palmer be the top and only rookie of 2016? Will Crashtor be sponsored by Direct Line and AA?
You'll have to forgive people for not being thrilled about the prospect of even more dirty air
That's not the cars being boring though, that's a byproduct of what's making them quick at the mo. The cars are perhaps the most amazing pieces of design and engineering that they've ever been but the sport does a lousy job of selling them.
So what you're saying is that the cars are great, but shit at being race cars? Kinda defeats the purpose imo
"Boring cars? They'll probably hit all time peak downforce this year and are more powerful than they have been for years. "
That's what ruining it recently. You can't get anywhere near the car in front as you then can't go round the corner fast than them to overtake.
Bigger tyres. More power. Less aero. Win!
So what you're saying is that the cars are great, but shit at being race cars? Kinda defeats the purpose imo
That's more or less F1 since about 1980 or so.
Late 80s maybe pondo, aero wasn't that smart in the Saudia Williams days. When was the last prolonged nose to tail fight for a win? Mansell/Senna in Spain 86? The 90s became increasingly reliant on passing in the pits, and the noughties was when the dirty air thing started attracting attention with the owg and their centreline downwash wing.
Ground effect is never going to be a primary source of grip in f1,the safety implications are too great. Bigger tyres will make a tiny difference but I'd bet any team will take a wing over a wider tyre. So that means we're stuck with aero. F1 will never be a spec series like indy so you can't mandate a certain aero pack. Maybe you can limit wing sizes and complexity but even then the teams will use every molecule of air that flows over them to gain an advantage. The 2017 regs are apparently trying to reduce the dirty air effect but it's part and parcel of f1.
I think aero's been known to have a detrimental effect on racing pretty much since wings first appeared in the sixties - I'm not so naive as to think it's as simple as saying "no aero", just saying it's incorrect to think it's a new problem. Even dominance by one team is old hat - it's a competitive game, people will catch up.
If the cars had ground effect only, how would that effect the air flow behind them?
I'll be hoping that the Hamilton-Rosberg battle returns to the on-track magic of 2014. I'm sure Vettel will be snapping at their heels but I slightly doubt Ferrari will be able to be right up with them on all circuits. And, since the rules are stable, I can't see anyone else getting close unless Williams gamble and get lucky on a design change.
Also hoping McLaren can at least reduce the DNFs and get into Q3 on a regular basis. Last year we were basically denied the opportunity to watch two of the better drivers on the grid go racing.
But mostly I'm looking forward to whatever Verstappen brings. Hamilton is always compared to Senna, admittedly not least because he's always said he wanted to emulate him, but personally I think the way Verstappen drives and conducts himself is remarkably like Senna.
I think the "biggest" interest will be Rosberg v Hamilton with Mercedes again being the most consistently strong car by a decent margin. Ferrari to be good but not good enough to challenge.
Maclaren I think have a fundamental problem with funding. RedBull, Horner is involved in Ben Ainslie's Americas Cup sailing team and the calls on his time there will only increase. Its not impossible RedBull could pull oit of F1 with further poor seasons.
Isnt WHitmarsh heading Ainslie's cup challenge with Newey taking on technical design role. Horner has Arden in the lower formulas.
Looking forward to the new liveries
Ferrari improved massively last year, but were still a long way behind Merc. Merc will have improved further by the start of next season, so it's difficult to see Ferrari beating them consistently enough to take either title.
Williams probably secure in 3rd. They don't have the resources to beat Ferrari and Merc, but should be reliable and as fast as any of the other teams.
Renault have written 2016 off as a rebuilding exercise. Their car will basically be a Lotus with a less powerful engine. Difficult to imagine them beating any of the Merc teams.
Honda will have essentially a new power unit. The problems last year were nearly all related to the hybrid systems. With such a huge power deficit, downforce has to be reduced, so the chassis performance suffers from a weak power unit. Renault will also have a massively revised power unit. It's plausible that the 2016 Honda power unit will be comparable with the Renault. It's also likely that both will have reliability problems because they need to take risks to try and catch Merc and Ferrari. Both will have learnt a lot from 2015 so it's difficult to believe 2016 will be nearly as heinous as last year though.
Fourth through 8th positions seem to be a lottery between McHonda, Red Bull, Force India, Torro Rosso, and Haas. Red Bull and McHonda start with weak power units but massive resources to develop during the season. Force India and Torro Rosso have decent, reliable power units, but lack the budgets to keep developing. Haas is a wild card.
I'm a bit confused on the RBR Renault PU with ilmor development. Will Ilmor develop for exclusively for RBR or for Renault? Could we see this as a foray into being and engine manufacturer for RBR in 2017?
My understanding is that Renault will supply RBR with a 'base engine'. This will then be rebadged as a Tag Heurer and Ilmor will be developing it throughout this season, without anymore input from Renault. RBR haven't said what they will be using next season.
Ilmor will be a contractor to Renault F1 not RBR.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122130
What about Manor ? Arent they getting a Merc engine ? Will that make them faster than McHonda ?
What about Manor ? Arent they getting a Merc engine ? Will that make them faster than McHonda ?
It might do!!
McLaren have been on a downhill spiral every since their crackers race strategy for Lewis. All those howlers and slow pit stops. As an organisation it makes me wonder if this partnership could be the catalyst of the companies demise.
A successful history means little.
For those who still enjoy F1 I am glad all that money hasn't been spent in vain and that it has brightened up your weekends over the year-I know a lot of people who have kept the faith and still work their lives around the coverage.
I was speaking to one hardened F1 fan recently, to the point he has taped every single race since the mid 80's and has kept all of the recordings, and even he admitted he thought it was SO dull last year. I'm glad I kept my 2015 resolution to not watch a second of the coverage last year. I have not missed it at all.
For me it just isn't fun anymore and I gained quite a few hours where I did something more interesting (to me) instead.
Why comment?
Why comment?
Errr, this is a chat forum right?
Some interesting thoughts, as always, from James Allen:
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/01/thoughts-on-the-formula-1-year-that-lies-ahead-in-2016/
F1 stands out as the easiest sport to give up on as it had become dull, and falls right in the middle of a Sunday. But TBH I can recommend that you do this with a lot of sport on TV, as you'll suddenly have far more time to do interesting stuff.
Prediction McHonda won't threaten anyone next year, it'll be another Merc snooze fest.
jimw - MemberErrr, this is a chat forum right?
Gets a bit tiresome hearing how shit something that you like is from people who don't even watch it.
Looks like the BBC have given up altogether, their F1 page has almost ground to a halt!
BBC f1 will go the same way as the motogp coverage. I imagine / hope the guys get new jobs over at C4. I've always like the shots and trailers they used to do for motogp and f1. My favourite laguna seca trailer with Rudimental
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motogp/18980410
Looks like the BBC have given up altogether, their F1 page has almost ground to a halt!
It's the first week of January. What are you expecting..............
A question for those who watch F1 on NowTV - If you buy a weekend pass do you have to watch the race live, or is there any sort of catch-up option? I always like to watch the whole race, but can't always watch live.
Ta!
It's a live watch as far as i can work out.
I read that Ferrari are claiming to be behind on their 2016 car as they were developing the 2015 to the end of the season. Getting their excuses in early?
I read that Ferrari are claiming to be behind on their 2016 car as they were developing the 2015 to the end of the season. Getting their excuses in early?
...only stories I've seen are the usual Ferrari bigging themselves up and wanting to be 'the team to beat' in Australia.
the-muffin-man - MemberA question for those who watch F1 on NowTV - If you buy a weekend pass do you have to watch the race live, or is there any sort of catch-up option? I always like to watch the whole race, but can't always watch live.
Dare I ask how much it costs to get F1 on NowTV?
Dare I ask how much it costs to get F1 on NowTV?
£6.99 for Day Pass, £10.99 for week pass...
...not cheap. But a lot cheaper for me if I cancelled my Sky Sub and watched coverage on C4 and filled in with the races they don't broadcast live using NowTV.
Buy a dish point it at the RTL satellite, tune into R5, pretend they're not out of synch by 0.3 of a second and enjoy. Job done. 🙂
Link to the Ferrari story on [url= http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122395/ferrari-delayed-work-on-2016-car ]Autosport[/url]
lot cheaper for me if I cancelled my Sky Sub and watched coverage on C4 and filled in with the races they don't broadcast live using NowTV.
That's what I do
More great Pirelli news - they're now saying their tyres can't cope with more power and cornering speed for 2017. Well Goodyear seemed to manage fine with 1000bhp+ in the 80s!...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/35283404
Partial quote there..... what they seem to be saying is the FIA can't eat its cake and have it. Coping with increased power and speed will require higher pressures - which the FIA don't want for performance reasons.
They should go back to a tyre war with two suppliers, why are F1 cars still on hugh sidewalls anyway all other "Sporty" cars the thinner the better?
Other motorsports tend to have suspension 🙂
Heard they want to go back to 2m wide cars and more aero grip - going backwards to go forwards, let's make sure there's even less chance of a pass occuring.
Pirelli just making more noise to ensure they get to test their tyres on a representative car before they race on them. IIRC lotus ran with 17 inch rims as part of a filming/test day last summer but the decision was to remain with the current profile. Suspension design was a lot to do with it I think.
Yep, Coulthard has appointed Coulthard as one if C4 presenters... 🙂
Sounds like Maldonado's paymasters haven't stumped up the cash for him. Finally!
Aye - sounds like the Renault seats are both available.
I though Palmer Jr was in the other seat?
No loss if Pastor deosn't show up. Except for the Carbon fibre suppliers around Enstone, they must be layiing folk off on the strength of that.
And Magnussen slated for that seat. Good News all round.
Thinking about pirelli they might actually be doing us all a favour. The 2017 regs seemed to be all about bolting on more aero downforce which most people think would worsen the dirty air problem and make close racing even harder. If pirelli say they need to keep current downforce levels but will increase tyre size to enhance mechanical grip then that sounds like a (small) positive step for closer racing.
Interesting piece on the 2017 regs...
http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/f1/opinion/f1-about-to-score-another-own-goal/
...seems like a complete shambles!
Yes it does. 🙁 Ban winglets, turning vanes, reduce the size of the front and rear wings. This mega complex aero has damaged the sport.
I agree, the sport should get [url= 
]back to basics.[/url]
holst - MemberI agree, the sport should get back to basics.
Probably quicker than last years McLaren.
They'd never go for it, but standard aero packs for the front and rear wings would be good (imo) to stay away from the standard "we've upgraded our front wing and now have 154,000 different elements on it" nonsense
I read something the other day that said in a season, a top team goes through about 75 designs for the front wing. It's flipping ridiculous that.
Well 2017 regs should ban all winglets etc. and also go back to proper tyres. Also simplify the engines (or PU if you prefer), a small engine with only one limited boost (e.g. an electronic turbo) should be enough IMO. However, mixed grids as proposed in that article linked above is the worst idea and thankfully F1 isn't going down that route. Personally I don't have an issue with 'lift and coast', it happens in motorsport.
Oh and stop this obsession with employing old drivers sons, it is nepotism of the worst kind.