FE next year will see a move to a single car per driver due to improvements in battery tech. No more 1 minute put stops to change cars.
I don't see that it being slower than F1 is a big deal personally since the racing is much closer and there tends to be plenty of overtaking on street circuits. The nature of aero packages in F1 seems to severely limit the ability to overtake (especially if you drive a merc) and makes for less entertaining races (IMHO)
What spat is that?
Think its more theres 2 big events [i]close[/i] to each other back to back, which have to split audiences.
If they had one at the start of the year and another at the end of the year it would be easier to maximize audiences at both events
Yup but COTA are insisting Mexico change their date. They don't want to.
jairaj - Member
I have no idea why Williams have been struggling to get near the sharp end
Maybe it was the [i]panda-faced pace-o-phobe[/i]*
Hopefully they don't find another excuse to re-employ Massa. I know a bad thing happened to him and he's really well liked within the paddock but the main part of the job is driving really fast and he's just not up to it.
I know that Williams is a [i]nice[/i] team and they can't bring themselves to give him a P45 but there's numerous guys you could pedal that car faster.
* Credit: Sniffpetrol 2013
I think what will happen to Ricciardo next year is one of the most interesting things in F1 one right now. He clearly wants to step out from Verstappen's shadow and into a car that can beat the over talented little Dutch man. So that would mean Mercedes or Ferrari, and I think Mercedes are keen to hold on to Ocon so that it looks like Vettel may well be getting the only teammate who beat him on a regular basis back again..
He clearly wants to step out from Verstappen's shadow and into a car that can beat the over talented little Dutch man.
If he can't beat him in the same car, then Verstappen deserves to be No. 1. Ricciardo outscored MV over the year and pulled off more overtaking moves than any other driver. His only weakness was being outqualified by 13-7, from memory. However, the average gap was tiny, so the two drivers seem to be very evenly matched and I don't think DR is intimidated by MV. Wherever DR goes, he has to be prepared to beat a first class teammate, so I think that will be less of a consideration than whether Red Bull can produce a competitive car. Red Bull seem likely to be stuck with Honda engines from 2019, so if the Honda engine doesn't improve massively, he won't want to stick around.
Any driver on the grid would take a Mercedes seat if it was available, but chances of that seem slim. DR will obviously be looking at McLaren and Ferrari, and also how the Honda engine compares to the Renault next year. Red Bull and Mclaren will have the same engine, so that will make it obvious which car is better. Alonso's nearing the end of his career and won't want to stick around if the Renault engine isn't competitive right out of the box. Ferrari will be very disappointed with Vettel's meltdown this year, so Ricciardo might look attractive, he seems to be very tough mentally. Renault is another team he will obviously be looking at very closely.
Ferrari will be very disappointed with Vettel's meltdown this year, so Ricciardo might look attractive, he seems to be very tough mentally.
I agree, I think DR will be in red from 2019 onwards, the only thing possibly barring his way is if Charles Leclerc puts in a storming debut next year...
Kvyat gets Ferrari development role...
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/kvyat-joins-ferrari-development-driver-994378/
...could be the best thing for him. Perhaps work his way back into F1 with an Alfa/Sauber drive next year (surely they won't hang on to Ericsson for 2019!).
I bet finger boy will enjoy working with him 🙂
Ricciardo will need a complete personality transplant if he moves to Ferrari. He is far too personable and happy for the prancing horse. I mean he has a sense of humour and actually smiles. There is no way Ferrari would employ someone likeable FFS.
I read this over the holidays and thought it was interesting. Tiff's view on how to improve the Yas Marina circuit...
[url= https://drivetribe.com/p/heres-how-to-fix-the-abu-dhabi-XHtbVWQNQ7GDDiiVA8KAVg?iid=Gx0GOG7KRzW7q9APvSHEmg ]DriveTribe[/url]
Most sense Lewis has talked in a while!
[url= https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/133873/hamilton-f1-needs-more-doningtonstyle-turns ]https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/133873/hamilton-f1-needs-more-doningtonstyle-turns[/url]
So Sirotkin gets the nod while Kooobica gets to be kept on the books in case sergei turns out to be a disaster. Oh, and to front up for Martini as the race drivers are too young.
Boom!...and down to 8th or 9th in the constructors table. 😀
Williams - they just seem to be trying to find the next young-verstappen and hoping it will get them some notice, when in reality they are slipping further and further down the grid (even with that Merc engine in the back) with less and less sponsorship money --- and almost every race there is some excuse as to their problems with performance (doesnt suit us, tyres not heating up etc) - and i think they had a chance with Kubica to get a genuine talent with F1 experience and they went for ooodles of cash instead.
Personally if i was Kubica i'd have looked at another F1 team instead of backburner status.
as for Formula E - plenty of big manufacturers coming in, and rumours are the new car for 2019 will be very much faster than the existing ones and there is already talk of them "out growing" some street circuits - when they start to get on to proper race circuits, then the F1 challenge will really begin.
There may be no need at all to try and change F1 against the manufacturers power base , because it might just simply fade away as they all jump ship into FE.
I always thought there should be another league / Break away.
The big boys and spend what they want and do what they want to build the fastest cars possible while Sauber, Hass, Williams etc cass about making excuses for themselves in F 1 junior.
They could be a support race for the Big teams 🙂
when they start to get on to proper race circuits, then the F1 challenge will really begin.
Not for a while I'd wager. The current, tight, tracks make them look fast. If you copied the F1 calendar they'd look dismally slow in comparison. The speed will come, but then do you also want the teams spending millions and millions to match the aero performance?
Oh, and to front up for Martini as the race drivers are too young.
Supposedly Kubica doesn't drink though...
I always thought there should be another league / Break away.
The big boys and spend what they want and do what they want to build the fastest cars possible while Sauber, Hass, Williams etc cass about making excuses for themselves in F 1 junior.They could be a support race for the Big teams
What big boys, Merc, Ferrari and Renault? Would be dull as dishwater. F1 needs independents and it needs engine rules that allow them to be competitive.
over the past 2 decades that power over the rules have ebbed away from FIA into the teams / manufacturers, and now its just impossible to get back,
i think Liberty are just realising this after the luke warm reception they got from offering the teams shares in the sport and the Brawn dossier on new regs for 2021 and suggestions about reformatting the payment structure to the teams.
What big boys, Merc, Ferrari and Renault? Would be dull as dishwater. F1 needs independents and it needs engine rules that allow them to be competitive
I would hope that without the rules it would attract the heavy weights back into the sport.
Basically an unlimited F1 with BMW, Ford, Nissan, Toyota etc - guys, get the car around the track as quickly as possible using 75kg of fuel per race. ( possibly other metric such as size )
I just saw the sad news about Dan Gurney up there.
I always liked this:
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Proper exhaust pipes in those days too
[img] 
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Oh and he was a big guy. Spot the bump on the top of the door for his helmet.
[img] 
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F1's diminishing constructer appeal is ultimately down to expenditure. Merc, Renault, Ferrari and Honda all have a vested interest in hybrid technology and will benefit from the data gathered from the R&D process to help offset the cost.
Either they see a future in efficient petrol engines, or in fully electric drivetrains (hence the backing for Formula E).
If hybrid powertrains are dropped for 2021, then that removes a large chunk of expense but it risks making F1 an irrelevance when the market for road cars seems to be heading in a different direction. The payoff is that companies like Aston Martin, McLaren, etc will be in a better position to fund an engine programme.
If 2021 engine regs stipulate a turbo V6 of 1600cc capacity and a fuel flow limit then it'll be difficult for any engine constructor to find and exploit a power advantage. There will be greater emphasis on aero and chassis development to gain a performance advantage. I can't see Merc and Ferrari being terribly happy about that.
That's the quandary facing Liberty.
If hybrid powertrains are dropped for 2021, then that removes a large chunk of expense
The biggest problem is the cost of aero development. A couple of years back, there was a story that the electricity bill for Red Bull's wind tunnel was a million dollars or pounds, I forget which. Adrian Newey earns as much as the very top drivers, so Red Bull's aero program costs much more than an engine contract. Force India and Williams have Merc engines, but were soundly beaten by Red Bull. Force India had two excellent drivers. Massa might not be a superstar, but he's not a bad driver. Williams just seem to have gone wrong in the technical department and don't have the budget to get back on track. Red Bull also went wrong with their aero at the start of the year but had the resources to redesign the car and make it competitive. That was mostly down to aero development, not engine.
New Formula E car!...
[img] 
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https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/formula-e-reveals-second-generation-car-1000535/
^^^^^ That looks mega - that's what innovation looks like.
Not sure what's innovative about what you can see there? Might be a centre downwash wing, but otherwise looks a lot like the 2018 Indycar
...apart from the mahoosive rear diffuser! 🙂
Looks like Alonso is going to be a busy boy this year with F1 and WEC:
Fernando Alonso will be competing in two World Championships after it was confirmed he will be racing for Toyota in the upcoming WEC season. Here’s a look at his updated diary…
Alonso will be in the Toyota No.8 LMP1 car alongside his new team-mates and ex-Formula 1 drivers Sebastian Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima.
The World Endurance Championship is about to go through a transitional phase known as the ‘Super Season’ which comprises of eight races, including two Le Mans 24 Hours races, running from May 2018 to June 2019.
This is so the next World Endurance Championship season can start in the autumn and make Le Mans the season finale.
With this in mind and McLaren no longer affiliated to Honda, Alonso is taking full advantage of the longer season to help his Triple Crown bid.
Alonso’s potential schedule:
February
February 26 – March 1 Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona (first Winter Test)
March
March 6 – March 9 Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona (second Winter Test)
March 25 Australian GP MelbourneApril
April 8 Bahrain GP Sakhir
April 15 Chinese GP Shanghai
April 29 Azerbaijan GP BakuMay
May 5 6 Hours of Spa
May 13 Spanish GP Barcelona
May 15 – May 16 Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona (In-season Test)
May 27 Monaco GP MonacoJune
June 10 Canadian GP Montreal
June 16-17 24 Hours of Le Mans
June 24 French GP Le CastelletJuly
July 1 Austrian GP Spielberg
July 8 British GP Silverstone
July 22 German GP Hockenheim
July 29 Hungarian GP Budapest
July 31 – August 1 Hungaroring, Budapest (In-season Test)August
August 19 6 Hours of Silverstone
August 26 Belgian GP Spa-FrancorchampsSeptember
September 2 Italian GP Monza
September 16 Singapore GP Marina Bay
September 30 Russian GP SochiOctober
October 21 United States GP Austin
October 28 Mexican GP Mexico CityNovember
November 11 Brazilian GP Sao Paulo
November 18 6 Hours of Shanghai
November 25 Abu Dhabi GP Yas MarinaJanuary 2019
January 26-27 Daytona 24 Hours*
May 2019
May 4 6 Hours of Spa**
June 2019
June 15-16 24 Hours of Le Mans**
*Not confirmed, but Alonso is open to returning to Daytona
**Dependent on 2019 Formula 1 season
Good write up on the Halo for those not familiar with it...
http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/22262498/all-need-know-halo-ahead-2018-f1-season
Shame that the only challenge the Toyota should have is from the other Toyotas
So Grid Girls are to go this year - I wonder if they'll stop doing lingering shots of pretty ladies in the crowd and bikini clad beauties in swimming pools at Monaco!?...
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/formula-1-to-drop-grid-girls-for-2018-1000912/
"Good write up on the Halo for those not familiar with it…
http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/22262498/all-need-know-halo-ahead-2018-f1-seaso n"
[still not quote button]
I'd love to see a driver's-eye view through the halo: It looks like the central support would annoy the hell out of me.
In that report the drivers say visibility isn't a problem and that it could even go lower.
So instead of "exploiting" women (and some men) who are paid to stand on the grid F1 will now be exploiting children who aren't paid (as far as I can see) to be there. That's progress!
10 past the hour race starts, later qualifying, Bahrain becomes a night race etc. this coming season.
So instead of “exploiting” women (and some men) who are paid to stand on the grid F1 will now be exploiting children who aren’t paid (as far as I can see) to be there. That’s progress!
The kids are to come from local motorsport clubs and racing series. So there will probably be a lot of palms greased to make sure 'the next Hamilton' and his/her family get to mix among the F1 paddock! 🙂
How come an alternative to F1 isn't out there considering that most fans of F1 aren't happy with the direction it is going.
How about launching unlimited racing?
Only criteria is that you have a budget cap but you can do what you want after that.
[b]the-muffin-man[/b] wrote:
So Grid Girls are to go this year – I wonder if they’ll stop doing lingering shots of pretty ladies in the crowd and bikini clad beauties in swimming pools at Monaco!?…
[b]thepurist[/b] wrote:
So instead of “exploiting” women (and some men) who are paid to stand on the grid F1 will now be exploiting children who aren’t paid (as far as I can see) to be there. That’s progress!
Well that is unsurprising - those against the change completely fail to understand the issue.
Well that is unsurprising – those against the change completely fail to understand the issue.
Where did either of us say we were against the change?
I couldn't give a toss if grid girls are there or not. They can stick the grid signs in a parasol base for me. I watch F1 for the cars, racing, tech and team politics.
I was expressing that there will be a huge amount of hypocrisy in this decision - the hospitality suites will still be staffed by the good looking girls. They will still do shots of the pretty drivers girlfriend at the back of the garage and they'll still interview the glamourous women on the grid.
F1 is just wanting to be seen to be doing the right thing.
Wow holy unfounded assumption Batman.
When it rains the teams find one of their personnel to hold an umbrella over the driver, why can't that person hold a number board at the front of the car instead? Why do we need girls/guys/kids to hold a number anyway when most of the viewing public are watching on TV and get told who's who, and the few spectators who are overlook the grid can see who's who anyway (or don't care)
How come an alternative to F1 isn’t out there
Indycars, LMP, WRC, DTM, Nascar, BTCC, V8 Supercars, MotoGP...
New IndyCars are looking good!...
[url] https://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2018/02/06/pictures-more-of-2018s-new-indycars-in-action/ [/url]
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So 'Grid Girls' are out but 'Pretty Girls' are OK?
http://www.crash.net/f1/news/889438/1/carey-f1-will-still-have-pretty-girls-races
Hmmmm - what exactly were they trying to achieve by removing grid girls in the first place?
So ‘Grid Girls’ are out but ‘Pretty Girls’ are OK?
Now there's a surprise! 🙂
Those Indycars look really, really good. Far better than 2017's effort, which resembled Matchbox generic racing cars from the 1960s.
So what's the difference between a grid girl and a pretty girl? FFS.
I'd like to see more girls racing in actual cars and involved in the technical stuff.
Indycar with the canopy they are testing...
[url] https://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2018/02/09/pictures-indycar-conducts-first-track-test-windscreen/ [/url]
[img] 
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Aww, that's awesome! There's a hint of McLaren M23 about the front end, they need to tint that screen yellow.
If I were in charge of F1, all the cars would have to have screens instead of halos and there would be a regulatory minimum length sideburn for male drivers.
The canopy does look decent.
We'll see what the Halo finally looks like when Williams launch their car next week. I know a chap who works for one of the F1 teams and he says they don't look as bad when integrated into the design of the chassis and have their aero bits on.
WEC schedule changed to suit Alonso
McLaren expect improvement: Well, after the last few years, all they have to do is beat Torro Rosso and they'll look pretty good.
Footage of aero screen at 190mph...
https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/video-indycar-aeroscreen-test-dixon-1003724/
Anyone watching Grand Prix Driver on Amazon? Inside McLaren last season....fascinating stuff
Anyone watching Grand Prix Driver on Amazon? Inside McLaren last season….fascinating stuff
Managed to watch 2 1/2 episodes last night - that engine fitting and start-up bit was cringe-worthy for Honda. It felt like they were reluctant to hand over drawings for something they had got wrong, and not being able to start your own engine with help - well, I really feel for Torro Rosso this season!
yes, waiting for the electronic start from Japan and resorting to basically a cranking handle, the writing was on the wall from the start wasn't it?
Richard mille jumped ship from mclaren?
Nah, they're one of RoGro's personal sponsors and have been on the Haas for a while
Looks alright that!...
[img] 
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[url] https://www.racefans.net/2018/02/14/haas-reveals-2018-f1-car/ [/url]
Halo neatly disguised against a dark background in that pic. No shark fin, no TV wings - good riddance to both.
Williams tomorrow innit? Will they go for a white halo?
Re Grand Prix Driver on Amazon.
Did they plan to cover the whole season, but stopped when it was clear the car/engine was rubbish?
I loved the carbon measuring stick to space out the board room chairs. Bet I know who's idea that was!
There's a video online of the new TR-Honda making vroom-vroom noises and Honda have reported that all the problems have been fixed and they expect to challenge the front-runners this year.
Didn’t they say that last year too? Wonder if they borrowed someone else’s engine for the video....
Can’t see the front wing properly in the Haas photo - not interested unless someone can confirm it has at least 2,351 elements
bet it still sounds like a bag of nails on feb 26 and they only manage about 10 laps though i hope I'm wrong
Scarbs has some tech analysis of the Haas...
https://twitter.com/ScarbsTech
And have Honda been smoking Black Mamba!? All the problems fixed - err, yes right-oh then!
Didn’t they say that last year too?
Yes, but last year they had Alonso driving for them, total loser who just made them look bad. This year they have signed up a couple of real champs.
That Williams looks stunning...
...without the Halo .
No shark fin,
Apart from the one hidden by being black against a dark background
Halo looks gash...
Member
There’s a video online of the new TR-Honda making vroom-vroom noises and Honda have reported that all the problems have been fixed and they expect to challenge the front-runners this year.
As unlikely as it is that Honda have made a good engine, I would quite like to see Alonso's face if he gets passed by a TR
I would quite like to see Alonso’s face if he gets passed by a TR
Yes, that would be something to see, although I think it's more likely that he'll drop off a couple of deck chairs for Hartley and Gasly to use.
Re Grand Prix Driver on Amazon.
Did they plan to cover the whole season, but stopped when it was clear the car/engine was rubbish?
I loved the carbon measuring stick to space out the board room chairs. Bet I know who’s idea that was!
I just started watching last night. Weird programme, unprecedented access indeed, right the way to the decidedly lukewarm reception the shitty livery got
It did have the premise of 10 episodes, then finished abruptly with a whimper just like their actual season. I assume they were contracted to let it go out on air, because I assume the choice would have been not to do so.
I did think the McLaren factory speech was contrived - "Everything the McLaren team did was right, it was Honda's fault" smartly forgetting that the late floor, nose and brake ducts delayed there own testing program.
The halo is pretty gopping. While I completely agree that driver's safety is the paramount concern, I much prefer the aesthetics of the Indy screen.
I managed three episodes of the McLaren documentary last night before boredom prevented me from watching any more. That said, I did enjoy the thinly disguised exasperation on the part of a McLaren engineer as he tried to get the specification sheet for the engine mounting bolts from a Honda employee. The whole documentary seemed devoid of humanity and the jaunt to the horologists conference to showcase a million dollar watch was borderline offensive.
I guess that's progress, but thirty-two years ago you still had people in anoraks making cars with engine block moulds carved from blocks of wood.
Just finished the programme now - it just turned into a McLaren propaganda piece
Another observation about the McLaren programme...
• Closed room
• F1 engine starting up
• And no one is wearing ear defenders or ear plugs, not even those stood next to it.
If you started a lawnmower engine in a closed room H&S would require ear defenders! 🙂
A lawnmower engine can function for extended periods with a power output measurable in the hundreds of watts.
That is a performance/reliability level that McLaren could only dream of.
New Red Bull is out and it appears Red Bull really does give you (sidepod) wings!...
[img] 
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https://www.racefans.net/2018/02/19/red-bull-presents-new-f1-car-2018/
...and a complete lack of sidepods too. 🙂
It's impossible not to be sceptical about Honda's claims, but if you believe in The Curse of Fernando then the Honda's going to turn out to be a real contender and the Renault will suddenly be a lemon. Which would make for an interesting season at Red Bull Towers 😀
Renault will still be a lemon. Which would make for an interesting season at Red Bull Towers
FIFY