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After last year’s farcical finish I said I wasn’t going to follow F1 any more. Then I saw the headline on the BBC website.
I nearly fell off my chair laughing.
Then I saw Karen’s face. And actually fell off my chair.
If the season continues like that, I might start watching again.
Exactly the same here. I deliberately avoided any F1 news and have missed the first race that I could see live but didn't by choice since Monza 2003. Don't care if the race was an epic, still not interested but seeing the headline about Red Bull having a major dose of Karma bite them on the arse had absolutely made my day and brought me on to this thread for the first time. Doubt I'll start watching again though as I have too little free time these days to keep up with the races live but if I see more headlines about Karen getting his just desserts I might allow myself a little smile.
Great result for Ferrari - good to have another constructor mixing it with Mercedes and Red Bull. Hamilton must think his luck has changed for this season getting a podium when for 90% of the race he was holding on to 5th. I see 'winning' last year's championship hasn't stopped Varstappen continually whinging through the race - he's a great driver but I just can't get myself to like him (same with Ronaldo in football).
I don't know whether it was just me, but the cars seemed to be very pedestrian particularly around some of the bends. I know regulations have changed, but the sheer speed of previous seasons and cars being right on the edge didn't translate through my TV screen today. Maybe the relatively large width of the track changed the perception.
There was also full enforcement of track limits which slows them through the corners. Also, damage to the floor this year by going over the kerbs could be disastrous to the cars performance, so may also be avoided in the race.
Oh that was sooooo satisfying
I love the look of the Ferraris now they’ve gone back to the darker red.
I wonder if the reliability issues will continue to plague red bull/alpha tauri this season?
If it does, I can't imagine that there is much they can do about it since there's a power unit freeze this year (ironically pushed by red bull to stop them falling behind the competition now they are doing the engines on their own)?
News flash, Red Bull aren't doing there own engines until 2026.
It's all soo easy to point and laugh.
I doubt there's anyone here that could do a better job.
What you also don't account for is the hundreds (probably 1000s before long) of jobs that RB have created and the unbelievable hours that normal guys and girls put in to get the cars there. It's athe same for every team in the pitlane. So maybe spare a thought for them before trashing a whole team based on the actions of one or two people (who admittedly should behave better)
Neither of the bosses came out of 2021 looking good.
I guess with Hamilton being the British driver then the majority will side with him and that's fine.
Don't forget the money that RB have invested in "our" sport or adventure sports in general too. They're not the devil incarnate just because of how a race turned out.
Why don't we all just chill out and watch what looks like being a cracking season unfold.
Watch or don't watch but if you don't watch why bother coming to tell us all?
If it does, I can’t imagine that there is much they can do about it since there’s a power unit freeze this year (ironically pushed by red bull to stop them falling behind the competition now they are doing the engines on their own)?
Upgrades on the grounds of reliability are allowed
Why don’t we all just chill out and watch what looks like being a cracking season unfold.
Welcome to the STW F1 thread, where people would rather point and laugh at mis-fortune than see a good race reach it’s conclusion
However. . . jeeezus Max is still a whiny shit on the radio. Almost impressed that someone can sound that stressed and not put it in the wall
It's almost like the radio highlights have been edited for effect....
ALL drivers are like that when stuff isn't going their way, and anyone who tells you different probably hasn't had much to do with top level sports people.
Karen, Helmut and Dietrich are all hateful people
Don't forget Max. Real chip off the old block.
So maybe spare a thought for them before trashing a whole team based on the actions of one or two people (who admittedly should behave better)
Im sure they don't give a toss about a load of moaners on STW! But if they are bothered about their PR/perception, then it's only a couple of people that they need to reign in (or get rid of...)
😉
I thought the race was great.
So RB have a suspected fuel pump issue and Merc are over half a second off the pace with no quick fix according to them. Still gonna be a struggle for Merc until Europe I reckon.
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sturdylad
Free MemberIt’s almost like the radio highlights have been edited for effect….
ALL drivers are like that when stuff isn’t going their way, and anyone who tells you different probably hasn’t had much to do with top level sports people.
So to get this correct - the F1 production company are editing the radio to make Max, and only Max, sound like a whiny dick?
Quite a satisfactory result all round. A great bit of work from Leclerc, and Zhou was pretty impressive too. And with such a different track next time out it’s going to be no more predictable—though I suspect Merc are going to struggle badly.
@mashr, that's not what I meant.
They broadcast what they want for effect. And why wouldn't they, it's entertainment.
Last year's final race was proof of that...
Horner on the phone:
Horner: Michael
Massi: Yes Christian
Horner: Can we end the race on lap 55, my cars failed to finish
Massi: Give me a minute Christian, we are looking into it
So sturdylad, which department do you work in at RBR?
Upgrades on the grounds of reliability are allowed
I’ve never understood that rule. If you develop a really powerful engine that’sa bit temperamental you can upgrade it to make it more reliable. But if you engine works properly you can’t upgrade it to make it more powerful. Seems a very strange way of operating to me
Wouldn't matter where I worked.
Horner & Toto made arses if themselves last year.
I just find all this hatred of one team over another a bit childish.
I'd love to know what the personal relationship between the posters above and Helmut/Horner/DM/Max is to see how they find them so hateful. It's all a bit daily mail isn't it.
It's just sport, watch, or don't watch it's your choice but why not keep the personal stuff out of it?
Thing is, if one engine supplier does have a genuine reliability problem, they will be stuck with it for years. They will all have pushed the power as hard as they can, but won't know how the reliability will be under race conditions (for example, the Red Bull fuel pump problem). There does need to be a way to fix reliability, but I think they're planning on being a bit stricter on the "reliability" upgrades this time around. Back when Red Bull started using Renault engines, it was down on power but had good fuel consumption and needed less cooling. The engines were officially frozen, but Renault did some upgrades for "reliability" which led to solid improvements in power. I think everyone is aware of that loophole and it will be policed much more strictly.
but why not keep the personal stuff out of it?
Are you familiar with the concept of sports teams at all? It's just pantomime villainy really. It's doesn't mean anything
I just find all this hatred of one team over another a bit childish.
I used to have a lot of respect for Red Bull. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have ended that. They really don't know when to keep their mouths shut. That nonsense with Albon doing the recreation of the Silverstone accident was just embarrassing. I'm pretty ambivalent about Toto Wolff, but he doesn't come across as badly as the Red Bull managers.
@sturdylad - I'll bite! 🙂
Have you ever watched any sport!? Any sport is all about personalities - who's the baddies, who's the goodies.
Red Bull came into F1 with a 'party' attitude - they were going to inject fun into the sport. They forgot that remit a long time ago. Anyone who follows F1 closely has seen how they treat their drivers.
I’ve never understood that rule. If you develop a really powerful engine that’sa bit temperamental you can upgrade it to make it more reliable. But if you engine works properly you can’t upgrade it to make it more powerful. Seems a very strange way of operating to me
I don't think that's the situation here. There's a low-pressure fuel pump that's an FIA spec part (same for all teams) that is failing. All the teams had them inspected under parc ferme before the race, some were swapped. Suggestion is the electronics for it is breaking down. E10 fuel?
It’s just sport, watch, or don’t watch it’s your choice but why not keep the personal stuff out of it?
But sport is by its very nature tribal. Fans of one team/player will cheer their wins and jeer at the other's losses. It's just the nature of the beast. Sometimes that jeering is just them being 'the opposition' and anyone other than your own team is the bad guy. Sometime there are longer running reasons, deep seated divisions between groups of fans that go back years.
Horner used to be the fresh face on the block, leading RedBull as the 'fun team' with bangin tunes in the garage and a proper party after a win. I think the changes in my perception of him started when he was sticking the knife in to Renault and he's continued to play the 'victim' role quite often. Ferrari and McLaren have both been through a hell of a time while this was going on and neither of them have sunk to the same depths - McLaren's handling of Honda (yes, even with the 'GP2 Engine' stuff from Alonso) was miles more professional than Horner's. So nothing very Daily Mail, just an opinion formed of the man from what I have seen of his behaviour (which, as a C4 F1 watcher is PLENTY).
Toto's no saint for sure, but based on what I've seen of him I'd rather work with/for him than Horner any day of the week.
I think Max proved yesterday with his radio comments that his new found status as F1 champ really hasn't chilled him one jot.
He'll be under even more pressure this year to prove he's a real champion and we'll see a lot more of that.
Banging race and entertaining even just watching the C4 highlights. So glad to see Ferrari back in the fight and smirked (tribal loyalty SturdyLad) when Mercedes got the next two places but did feel sorry for the way RB failed so close tot he end.
My biggest annoyance is that Ferrari have gone back to the dark red which is almost the colour I am having my Barchetta resprayed next month and everyone will assume I am a BIG Ferrari fan instead of just a closet one. I chose the colour based on the Maserati 300 & 450s that were that colour when racing.
I can well understand why Max would've lost his composure after his fuel system failed three laps from the end, I can't blame him for that.
Spare a thought for McLaren, with both drivers finishing 14th and 15th respectively. The MCL36 simply didn't have qualifying or race pace and I doubt that any deficiency is going to be properly addressed any time soon. All the Mercedes engined teams seemed to struggle yesterday, Williams and Aston Martin were equally lame, which might suggest that the problem is due to the powerplant itself. Even then, both Stroll and Albon finished in front of the McLarens.
I doubt it's the Mercedes engine. They were only 4/10ths off in qualy and they've had to significantly increase their wing generated downforce due to having to run the car higher to stop the porpoising. If they get the floor sorted, you'll see a decent leap in Mercedes performance which would put them at least on par with RB/Ferrari. But RB and Ferrari won't be standing still. whilst Mercedes fix their car, the others will be developing theirs...
Were there big changes to the engines this year? So much has been about the aero changes that I've not even seen the engines mentioned.
I'm sorry for Perez that he wasn't able to finish. But for Verstappen, Horner & Red Bull on the whole? Nope. Sorry, no shits given there.
In fact I wasn't going to drink last night as I had an early morning workout to contend with today, but decided to throw caution to the wind & had a celebratory beer.
Overall, I thought it was a great season opener. A shame not to have Vettel there & also a shame that Williams don't seem to have made much of a step-forward & McLaren seem to have taken a significant step backwards. The racing looked a lot closer & I am hoping for some great races throughout the season.
Were there big changes to the engines this year? So much has been about the aero changes that I’ve not even seen the engines mentioned.
No major changes in the regs, but the engine spec was frozen at the start of the season for the next 4 years so teams were chucking everything at improving them before the freeze came into effect.
They also have to be modified to work with E10 fuel.
https://the-race.com/formula-1/ferrari-forced-into-daring-design-solutions-with-f1-engine/
The MCL36 simply didn’t have qualifying or race pace and I doubt that any deficiency is going to be properly addressed any time soon.
They looked fairly decent in the first test, their car seemed to be least affected by porpoising. They miscalculated how much brake cooling would be needed so they had overheating in the warmer temperatures of the second test and the first race. Brake ducts have a major effect on the aerodynamics so they will need some wind tunnel time to optimize the new ones. Once they've done that, I think they'll have a decent mid-field car.
Mercedes had to raise the ride height to deal with porpoising so they lost a lot of downforce and suffered tyre wear issues. It's safe to assume that they will get on top of that issue eventually, it's just a matter of when. The pace of development of the cars will be rapid this year so the pecking order after the summer break may be nothing like at the moment.
I think yesterday was the first time since I started following F1 in the mid-90s that I've ever wanted Ferrari to win a race so badly. I'm not particularily a fan of Leclerc either but that's mostly down to his association with Ferrari. But man did I want him to beat Verstappen yeaterday! In a way I was a bit sad that Red Bull had to retire both cars because I wanted to see Verstappen beaten fairly on the track, which up until that point he really had been.
As a McLaren fan though that was just painful. Really hope that brake cooling improvements allow them find find a considerable chuck of speed otherwise this is going to be a long and painful season for them/me.
I don't really mind who wins it this year as long as it's not Verstappen. That smug grin he has just makes me want to punch him. It's worse than Schumachers.
As a McLaren fan though that was just painful.
On the bright side, they are leading Red Bull in the constructors championship, equal on points, ahead on best placed finish.
I think Max proved yesterday with his radio comments
Have you heard Hamilton on the radio to his pit at all?
I’m sorry for Perez that he wasn’t able to finish. But for Verstappen, Horner & Red Bull on the whole? Nope. Sorry, no shits given there.
In fact I wasn’t going to drink last night as I had an early morning workout to contend with today, but decided to throw caution to the wind & had a celebratory beer.
Me too. My wife and I cheered and howled with laughter when MV went out. I can’t stand him, never have done. No class, dodgy driving masquerading as “tough”, nasty to everyone who doesn’t toady to him, no understanding of his own failures.
I couldn’t give a rats ass about being non partisan. My only wish is for MV to fail at every race and Lewis to go sailing by and wave as MV plummets to the bottom of the championship standings drowning in a shallow pool of his own angry spittle, then get banned for assaulting someone at a race like he has done before and following on the tradition of his dad (who I remember when he was in F1) and his grandad.
All while Whinger Spice sobs into a crumpled red bull can, to eventually be fired from F1 to lead the Red Bull Extreme Ironing team.
I’ve been watching F1 for more than 40 years and have never seen a team act so childishly, they are a true snowflake of a team. I just want them to fail now.
We actually applauded Ferrari winning as they ran a perfect race, couldn’t fault the team or the drivers and it was so good to see CLC outclass MV. Brilliant drive and a deserved win.
I was also SUPER chuffed to see HAAS do so well - wow! I just want to see GS smile (and probably swear a lot but in excitement rather than frustration!!).
Have you heard Hamilton on the radio to his pit at all?
Hamilton doesn’t swear and stamp his feet like a teenager denied the latest iPhone purchase by his parents.
Apparently the change to E10 is far from trivial from an IC perspective - it has meant an awful lot of work from the PU guys. These engines aren’t like road cars that will run on any old crap, they are specifically tailored to the petrol they are provided by their chosen supplier.
In particular it has meant the engines running much warmer, particularly on low fuel loads. Don’t understand the technical reasons behind it but then I am not an F1 PU designer 🙂 . Even say the Ferrari engine which runs on on Shell would run sub-optimally on Petronas juice so closely do the teams work with their oil guys.
I am sure RB will get to the bottom of it all but hopefully not for another couple of races. Would be great to see Ferrari build a bit of a lead then Merc and RB come back at them…
I think Max proved yesterday with his radio comments
Have you heard Hamilton on the radio to his pit at all?
F1 Insights on YouTube is good for full pit radio...
In particular it has meant the engines running much warmer, particularly on low fuel loads. Don’t understand the technical reasons behind it but then I am not an F1 PU designer
As the fuel tank is emptied, the fuel moves around more.
There are baffles in the tank, but under the extreme loads theres only so much you can do.
The more the fuel moves, the hotter it gets and it vaporises, and causes issues with the fuel pumps.
E10 fuel makes this issue bigger.
Other teams found this out in testing, by doing long simulations and running the tanks to empty. They found the issues and put in solutions.
RedBull didnt and got caught out.