F1 2021 – spoilers here

You can only enforce a rule by means of a standardised test, so it is by passing the test(s) that you show compliance with the rule.

‘Interpreting’ the rules is, rightly or wrongly, an intrinsic part of racing, see BOM Bargain Racement suspension mods, some of the whoppers pulled in WRC, NASCAR etc.

For me it’s all part of the fun, I imagine the other teams will be thinking “why didn’t we think of that?” rather than “It’s not FAIR!”

You can only enforce a rule by means of a standardised test, so it is by passing the test(s) that you show compliance with the rule.

Yes, but passing the test doesn’t mean the car is compliant with the law, just that it passed the test. The Ferrari fuel flow scandal is an example of that thinking taken too far. IIRC, they were measuring fuel flow once per second and the Ferrari was compliant with that, but they were increasing the flow between tests. The rule was that fuel flow had to remain below a certain threshold and Ferrari were in deliberate breach, despite passing the tests.

The rule on flexi wings is that they are supposed to be quite rigid, with only minimal deflection under load. Designing them to pass the static load test but to flex in operation is deliberate non-compliance, even if they pass the tests. This is not the same as designing them to flex to the limit of what is allowed, which is what any designer should be doing.

Turkey cancelled, second Austrian GP instead

Grosjean takes his first pole in Indycar at the GP of Indianapolis.
Would love to see him take the win tomorrow.

🤦‍♂️

Oh, we’re backing out of those sort of jokes now, are we? Righto 🙂

Mazepin has arrived in Monaco!

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Special McLaren livery released for Monaco…prepare yourselves!
Monaco

Nice!! Very nice…

LOVE Gulf Racing colours!

That and Martini were some of the best.

What is the relevance of Gulf colours on the McLaren at Monaco?

Forget the question. Just checked on F1.com. Very pretty.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-mclaren-to-run-one-off-livery-for-monaco-grand-prix-gulf.4hkyBhSrcmPhpwK8WVIwu7.html

That Gulf livery needs to stay!

What is the relevance of Gulf colours on the McLaren at Monaco?

it’s more interesting than the race usually is

McLaren have run in full Gulf colours only once previously – at Le Mans in 1997, with the McLaren F1 GTR

Noobs. 97 was 50:50 Gulf:Davidoff, ‘95 and ‘96 had full Gulf colours

Guenther Steiner’s search history #F1 pic.twitter.com/BYShCv0Z2P

— F1 MEMES (@f1troll_) May 15, 2021

^^^ Very Good

I think the only question isn’t whether Mazespin crashes out it when. We should run a pool!

My money is on binning it hard enough in Free Practice that he can’t qualify, i’m thinking massive tankslapper into the wall at Tabac.

He then gets given 20th on the grid and then understeers off at Saint Devote on the first lap.

a crashstappen clip the inside wall coming out of the swimming pool and into the wall opposite.

Monaco – who can forget Ricardo Rosset here memorably stuffing his Tyrrell into the barriers in a half-arsed attempt to doughnut the car around so that it was pointing in the correct direction:

Fun fact – Rosset’s pit crew were so incensed at his ineptitude that they swapped the letters around on Rosset’s pit lane scooter so that they read “tosseR”.

Rosset’s stunning effort is probably the Monaco gold standard of rubbishness – Mazepin has had a very high bar set for him.

A spin a Rascasse on lap 1 of free practice of Friday.

I’ve got a fiver on colliding with one of the front/midfield runners in qualifying and then not making it to the tunnel in the race.

Looks like I picked the wrong season to quit betting against a safety car.

That McLaren looks stunning, should look epic during qualifying.

We should run a pool!

He won’t make it that far round the first lap out of the pits.

Grand Hotel hairpin I reckon, it’s deceptively tricky being the slowest corner in the entire F1 calendar. Either that or he’ll nerf Latifi off while at Sainte Devote. One place where you really don’t want a rookie with attitude issues is Monte Carlo, the potential for havoc is off the chart.

I am very keen on McLaren’s Gulf livery, if Ricciardo can get his confidence up this weekend then we may well see an orange and blue podium.

This might make things messy if the title race is still close at the and and we end up with races being cancelled, especially if it comes down to the Merc and Red Bull having circuit specific advantages. Will also complicate the planning of when to switch fully to the 2022 car development.

I can’t see Singapore, Japan, Brazil or Australia going ahead for various reasons to be honest

— Paul Matthews (@p__matt) May 18, 2021

Fun fact – Rosset’s pit crew were so incensed at his ineptitude that they swapped the letters around on Rosset’s pit lane scooter so that they read “tosseR”.

“It’s a very short debate, Murray.”

Still giggling at that.

Lando Norris secures a “multi-year contract” at McLaren.

Lando Norris secures a “multi-year contract” at McLaren.

Hope they can deliver the car to let him make use of his talent!

Lando Norris secures a “multi-year contract” at McLaren.

Which at least puts an end to the speculation that Merc might lure him away to replace Bottas.

Either that or McLaren get a big payout for Lando. I think that works well for McLaren they either have a very good driver for a few years or they get hefty compensation for him. Lando to Merc and Russel to McLaren maybe?

Lando to Merc and Russel to McLaren maybe?

I think a lot of people were hoping that would happen, but it really was just wishful speculation. I would love to see Lando in the Merc driving the way he is now, but, realistically, it’s either Bottas or Russell in the Merc next year. Merc are ruthlessly businesslike and they aren’t going to mess around when they already have two very good drivers to choose from.

We should run a pool!

Can I take the logical option of the swimming pool chicane.

I’m going all out. He won’t make the start line; too many crashes in practice/quali and not enough replacement front wings.

We should run a pool!

Can I take the logical option of the swimming pool chicane.

Very logical, and clipping the front right on the barrier before ploughing in to the barrier on the exit will certainly feature, it’s a long way around the circuit.

If there or Rascasse are the first spacks, then he’ll be so far back that he’ll have to be going the wrong way round the circuit.

I’m going to say pit exit (cos it’s tight), or some proper n00b spack on that bumpy weird camber between Casino and Mirabeau (giving him the benefit of the doubt cos the 1st corner isn’t really a feature in an outlap, and the run up to Casino Square is fairly benign). Unless of course there’s another car starting a fast lap, in which case, red flag on the run up to Casino Square.

He has driven around Macao and Monaco in a F2 car…so in theory 1. he has experience in tight street circuits, and 2. he knows the Monaco…But as this is Mazepin, I still think he’ll spin at Rascasse on his out lap of 1st practice

He has driven around Macao and Monaco in a F2 car

F1 cars are a bit wider and have a longer wheelbase, plus much more powerful and quite a bit heavier. Hopefully the F2 experience has boosted his confidence and he sticks it straight into the wall.

Lewis quali lap from 2019 just WOW!!!

Weather forecast for Monte Carlo this weekend. Cool and cloudy, not ideal for bringing one’s rear tyres up to temperature quickly – a weakness that Mazepin has demonstrated everywhere TBH.

I wonder if we’ll see rain?