Forum menu
McLaren has access to Mercedes' pool of reserve drivers, so potentially Stoffel Vandoorne or Nyck de Vries could sub for Ricciardo if he's still covid positive. Pato O'Ward is McLaren's Indy driver and has had F1 testing experience so that's another possibility.
Looks like they'll be doing qualifying runs in the last hour, might be nice to see who's got the speed!
Well that is nasty
There’s sandbagging and then there’s what’s been happening at Mercedes for the last three days. I think they might really have some issues this time round
I thought the no side pods thing was a great innovation before, but it looks proper ugly there
Looks like they’ll be doing qualifying runs in the last hour, might be nice to see who’s got the speed!
Mick Schmacher in the Haas doing a 1.32:2 to get 2nd overall. Nick one Mick (everyone loves an under-dog, right?)
I think they might really have some issues this time round
Car appears to be a handful fo'shure. But last year Versteppen was 0.4 in front of Hamilton in qualis and Hamilton still won,
but it looks proper ugly there
kinda Looks like a bit like a F117, and that's a properly ugly MOFO as well.
Merc really do seem to have some issues. I have just been reading about them cutting out pieces of the floor on the final day of the test to try and cur the porpoising.
Started drive to survive last night, I didn't think it would be possible but Karen has made me dislike her and that team even more. What a throughly unlikable person.
kinda Looks like a bit like a F117, and that’s a properly ugly MOFO as well.
Exactly what I thought!
I'm on episode 4 of Drive to Survive...still way too much Karen. He comes across as a really bitter man with a massive chip on his shoulder. Even today he's reported as banging on about how he spends all his time in the factory, unlike Toto who swans about as a tax exile in Monaco.
Karen's latest quote...
“There was a concerted campaign by our rivals to discredit our achievement, even to the point of the FIA prize-giving, and it is a tactic that has been employed by Mercedes in other championships as well,” Horner told the Daily Mail. “As for the idea that the result was influenced by the need for entertainment over sport, I don’t agree with that, either.”
...I can't bare to watch the man. I'm giving DTS a miss this time.
Wise move...not sure I'm going to watch anymore
I'm wondering how the RedBull show on C4 is going to play out this year. If Merc turn around their issues and start winning with a controversial car the collective whining from DC, MW, KH etc might be enough to overcome my aversion to Sky.
Yep, I'll not be watching Drive to Survive either as it seems to contain a lot of Karen Horner and I'd rather not listen to him if I don't have to tbh...
C4 coverage is a bit trickier as I really really don't want to cough up for SkyF1, I'll see how it goes.
Merc really do seem to have some issues. I have just been reading about them cutting out pieces of the floor on the final day of the test to try and cur the porpoising.
Its not actually that hard to stop porpoising. You just run a higher ride height. But this obviously has a knock on to the amount of downforce generated and the overall handling. They just need to balance the ride height and stiffness of the suspension to get the right compromise, this compromise will vary from track to track depending on the mix of high and low speed corners and speed on the straights
I’m on episode 4 of Drive to Survive…
Me too. I wonder if there's been a deliberate decision to cast RB as the "baddies" in this seasons as it certainly feels like it's been edited that way.
Which is remarkable given that decision makes the "goodies" the existing DWC and CWC and dominate team for the last decade.
They just need to balance the ride height and stiffness of the suspension to get the right compromise
Have you noticed that the RB still has a defined rake to it? I think half the issues that Mercedes have is that if you're rely on a mechanical solution to maintaining your underfloor air flow (harder suspension, lower and flatter overall stance) rather than the aerodynamic solution that RB has clearly gone for, you either 1. produce a worse handling car that needs more development time, and a superb driver to wrestle the best out of, until the issues can be resolved, or 2, a competitive car that your rivals won't be able to match right from the get go. Merc have clearly got the former.
It does suggest though that with more development the Merc will get steadily faster, which is what we saw last year.
It does look like Red Bull and Ferrari have decent cars but I don't think we'll have a clear picture until they've visited different circuits and the compromises of each design are clear. I'm pretty sure that Merc saw results in the windtunnel that sent them in the direction they went. I'm sure that the Merc will improve dramatically once they figure out an optimum setup. The teams would have all looked at the others and tried to figure out the benefits of each approach so I expect we'll see some major upgrades in a few months.
Mercedes probably have a new floor in the back of the truck. Their's looks quite simple compared to the notches and slots of the Red Bull (and others)...
That metal strut holding the rear floor of the Merc on looks like something Al would have made from a spoon.
Merc were taking hacksaws to the floor the other day. I don’t think they have anything right now, but who knows by round 1.
Descriptions from trackside made it sound like there is a fundamental flaw in the design direction (can’t go fast in a straight line, can’t go fast round corners). Could make for an interesting season if they’re playing catch-up
Worth a watch
can’t go fast round corners
Can go v fast round slow corners apparently
Can go v fast round slow corners apparently
Hadn’t seen that. What I had seen is that it’s understeery or a handful or bouncy, or all at once
Lewis changing his name to reflect his mum's maiden name - Lewis Larbaleister-Hamilton.
I appreciate the sentiment but won't Lewis please consider the commentators!
Fine if thats what he wanta to do but why cant he just do it privately or is all about the what about me me me me media airtime 🙄
why cant he just do it privately or is all about the what about me me me me
Because that's his name?
Haters gonna hate. If he changed it privately he'd still need to explain it when the news leaked out, so what's the difference. I expect people will still refer to him as Hamilton, and there have been plenty of other F1 drivers that aren't/weren't known by their full name.
bruneep
Full MemberFine if thats what he wanta to do but why cant he just do it privately or is all about the what about me me me me media airtime 🙄
because it would be far more odd for the most famous F1 driver in the world to turn up at rnd1 with a new name?
Off the top of my head, Nelson Piquet Souto Maior, Rubens Gonçalves Barrichello and Emerson Wojciechowska Fittipaldi happened to have more than one surname each.
Ahh i see Had to be announced now instead of the closed season when he was offline....gotcha
He should change it to Captain Awesome to Karen has to say the every time he has a whinge! 🙂
Off the top of my head, Nelson Piquet Souto Maior, Rubens Gonçalves Barrichello and Emerson Wojciechowska Fittipaldi happened to have more than one surname each.
And Senna was Senna da Silva. Those pesky Brazilians eh 🙂
And John Colum Crichton-Stuart who just used made up a surname, plus most Spanish drivers eg Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro, Fernando Alonso Díaz
Mick Schumacher has also raced as Mick Betsch and Mick Junior.
thepurist
And John Colum Crichton-Stuart who just used made up a surname, plus most Spanish drivers eg Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro, Fernando Alonso Díaz
In fairness he was the Earl of Dumfies, also apparently went by the name John Bute as he was the Marquess of Bute.
Lewis changing his name to reflect his mum’s maiden name – Lewis Larbaleister-Hamilton.
Not quite. He's adding it as a middle name so Lewis Larbaleister Hamilton.
Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto changed his as no one other than the Fins could say it properly.
I seem to recall that Tiff Needell said he spent ages learning how to pronounce Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto for commentary purposes then was miffed when he changed it to J J Lehto 😀
Haha, I also remember him saying that he turned up to some event, I forget what, and finding that he been booked as Tiffany Dell
and finding that he been booked as Tiffany Dell
I thought that was his name for years 🙂
I just googled him, his real name is Timothy
Not sure why someone adding a new middle name is headline though
Not sure why someone adding a new middle name is headline though
Apparently "Any" means "All". Clear?
Safety car rule changes Although the other rule that Masi broke; racing starts that lap after the race track is clear hasn't been changed, because it didn't really need changing.