F1 2016 (Bound to contain spoilers!)

the-mcmuffin-man 😉

I was surpised they didn’t just build up roll hoops either side of the drivers head, because I cant see how this central bar can guarantee any more safety as it still leaves the driver as open to smaller objects coming from the front (i.e. spring that hit Massa).

On that second pic of Raikkonen, the Ferrari logo on the air box looks suspiciously like the old Marlboro red chevron…

…hmm that’s funny, anyone would think they were still sponsored by them!

Anyone seen any speed trap stats of late?

McHonda doing a lot of running on softs this week and whilst lap times look like they’re in the mix I’d like a view of the speed trap. They must still be 20kmph down on the Merc engines?

Vision through the Halo doesn’t look too bad at all…

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcnbaEYXEAA4t-Z.jpg

That Halo thing looks proper sh*t, either leave it open or close it in, this ‘3rd way’ is the worst of both IMO. Looks rubbish and reducers viewer visibility of the driver, and reduces driver visibility, yet still doesn’t offer the full protection of a fully enclosed canopy.

Vision through the Halo doesn’t look too bad at all…

Apart from looking at the start lights / flags / marshalls etc

Ferrari have said this is just a non structural mock up to test the concept – I thought the original concept had the rear mounts higher up so it was flatter. Apparently redbull are going to try a canopy concept some time later this year too.

Well Hamilton (& Hulkenburg) doesn’t like the Halo and the drivers are no fans of the new proposed qualifying, what a mess.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/35722163

Apart from looking at the start lights / flags / marshalls etc

Flags (mostly screens these days anyway) all duplicated on their steering wheel anyway.

So the testing ends, and what have we learned?

Basically its the same order as last year but everyone is going a bit quicker!

I’ll be amazed if there are any shocks at the first race.

We’ve learned that reliability has taken a big step forward all round.

We’ve learned that halos divide opinion.

We’ve learned that the new quali system will be used in Oz.

We’ve learned that the drivers don’t like it much.

Looking forward to P1 to see how they shake out when they’re all running legal cars and trying to achieve more or less the same thing at the same time.

having drifted off from F1 for a few years its the first time ive seen that Halo concoction – I must say it looks utter crap. Fully enclosed fighter plane style cockpit is the way to go I reckon.

Like this?

Oh, er wait…

also kimi might like the new ferarri and give it a go this year. I’m not sure what to make of haas, manor or suaber to be honest.

Renault have made up some bhp but mchonda seemed to have fixed the ers but none of the extra bits.

Rio looks painfully slow and I know it is his first experience of an F1 car but surely it highlights the need for a more progressive path from the other formulas.

Top dogs in the intra teams battle

Vettel
Ham
Botta
Ricciardo
Perez
Grosjean
Werhlein
Alonso
Magnussen
Nasr
Sainz

seems like Hamilton would of quite liked to have a super/ultra soft run but the team though otherwise which is a little surprising because you’d have thought some data on how the car fares with a completely new tyre might be useful, may come back to bite them in the end.

Indeed. Might be interesting in the first qualifiers that they run the super/ultra softs.

Intra team battles: I agree with all of the above apart from RB, I have a feeling that Kvyet is going to have a really good run of it this year. Also Sainz over Verstappen? Interesting….

Mixed bag then.

Murray Walker is back (occasionally) but…
Steve Jones as lead presenter?
Nicholas Hamilton?

Bruno Senna?

Awesome. I’ve long been a fan of his. I recall seeing a youtube vid of him on pedalling away no-handed a turbo trainer, whilst playing CoD on his Playstation.

Damn it C4, you had a great opportunity to rid our TV’s of DC and Jordan, yet you’ve given them another gig. Webber, Chandhok, Edwards – good, The rest are terrible. Whats Nicholas Hamiltons done to deserve a slot?

I didn’t realise quite how short Alain Prost is.

You do realise this isn’t the only TV he’s doing now?

Murray!!

The production company used by C4 is part owned by DC. (I think)

You do realise this isn’t the only TV he’s doing now?

Yeah, but I’ve long since given up on Top Gear. F1 was a bit of an indulgence on a Sunday afternoon, he really got on my tits with his constant bickering.

I didn’t realise quite how short Alain Prost is.

Tiny little feller – a lot of them are like jockeys.

I reckon the “winter testing is a notoriously unreliable guide to form” line is starting to wear a bit thin. I reckon come Australia everyone will be just where everyone thinks they are now, which is pretty much what’s happened the last couple of years IIRC.

Whats Nicholas Hamiltons done to deserve a slot?

He competes in the BTCC despite being disabled with cerebral palsy, which makes him pretty cool in my book 🙂

Well I’m pleased Lee McKenzie has been confirmed.

Well I’m pleased Lee McKenzie has been confirmed.

Yeah, I thought she should have had the chance to step up rather than Perry being brought in.

Haas employs small child as development driver (sporting some nice new jeans his mum bought for him!)…

I’m thinking it could be fun this year with reduced team radio and drivers being able to choose different sets of tyres to each other. Hamilton and Rosberg have chosen different sets to each other for the first race.

One thing the radio restrictions will do is get rid of all the lift and coast messages, so average Joe watching the race won’t be so aware of all of the fuel and tyre management that the drivers are doing, just as it was in the olden days when team radio wasn’t invented.

Hope we’ll still get some comedy gold from kimi and nando though. I feel that rosberg was one of the people who made most use of info from the team so it’ll be interesting to see how his performance is affected.

I’m getting annoyed with the C4 adverts – they keep getting me excited for F1, then I remember I haven’t got excited during a F1 since that race in Canada…

Sneaky **** used a car with an exhaust note – blatant false advertising!

Whys that Haas fella got a knob sewn into the front of his jeans????

Some colour in F1!…

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