there was a rumour that Bridgestine were providing Ferrari tyres costing 100k each!

I’m pretty sure that it’s more than a rumour. Ferrari were getting preferential treatment with tyres.

I was about to suggest a cost cap of £1k per tyre and to throw the doors open to several tyre manufacturers, but how would you police that cost cap?

Wide tyres would be good to some degree. Bigger wings? not so sure that’d help much in making racing better and you get back to the mid 90s reason aero started to get so restricted – cornering speeds and safety.

Loads of power is good. Loads of power with archaic technology isn’t going to fly so it’s a case of using what we’ve got which is hardly low powered, is it?

It’s tyres and how hard they can be pushed that will sort out the current issues IMO.

The difference is the rule book getting thicker and thicker, and any innovation is almost always banned. Chuck way half the rules and the Formula will get broader and smarter.

This has merit.

Maybe issue a specification that a car must not exceed a given silhouette restriction in terms of size and shape and leave the manufacturers to it? Maybe make the silhouette a lot like a Ferrari 640 or a McLaren MP4/5 and presto – prettier cars.

So? No-one was forcing them to. They decided that was what worth it to raise the profile of the brand.

but that’s the issue, the brands can throw money at this – like merc, Ferrari, Honda to succeed. I accept this principal as F1 is about technology and pinnacle of Motorsport. Some want it to be a bit like banger / touring cars with artificial gimmicks to make it more exciting.

I have watched f1 since the early 80s, every era has had its up and downs, this one seems to be more in the spot light, not because of what’s going on track side but more to do with politics in the sport.

For me, the sport needs to open it self up to a wider audience, not the middle aged yuppie / rich kid, more the techie kids. As for pit girls, scantily clad, waving flags, that has to go to promote gender equality.

I still think the hastily thought banning of active aids led to the death of two drivers

Really? Consequentially for Senna possibly as the Williams clearly didn’t like going back to passive suspension (so was a handful which could have lead to his crash but even then he was incredibly unlucky to be killed in that particular crash (eg the likelihood of a helmet being pierced by a suspension arm is incredibly low).

RR was killed because he damaged his wing the lap before without realising it and then hit a wall very hard when it broke. Nothing to do with banning of aids.

The Maldonator. 🙂
This had me laughing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9GtxYrMQcI

Force everyone to compete with the same fuel load and remove the fuel flow restriction.

Weight is no longer an issue, efficiency is controlled by the allotted fuel load for that race, speed is down to the efficiency of the engine/aeropackage and driver.

The more efficient your package, the less fuel your require to achieve a certain speed, leaving you more flexibility for turning up the wick.

The most efficient way to race would then be to dump a load of fuel into the engine (no flow restriction) get the car up to speed really fast and then coast down the straight. That would be awful IMO.

nemesis – Member
The most efficient way to race would then be to dump a load of fuel into the engine (no flow restriction) get the car up to speed really fast and then coast down the straight.

No, it wouldn’t.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113141

“If you have no fuel flow limit, the fastest thing is to use a huge boost at the beginning of the straight and then lift off.

F1 2014: Why fuel flow is limited

“With a set amount of fuel for a race, you have a pointless economy run before a wasteful dash to the flag, a set rate of flow promotes flat-out racing throughout, because hoarding fuel means extra weight sloshing in your tank. It would be totally unsatisfactory to have racing based on so many gallons for the race distance, so the only sensible alternative was to limit the maximum instantaneous power

This. What kind of comercial director slags off his own product?!? The only other example I can think of is Gerald Ratner haha

Just seen the Esso Mclaren tv advert, the kid making car noises in the back seat sounds better than the actual Mclaren car 😀

I watched the Canadian GP. Needless to say it was an enjoyable snooze-fest. The technicalities are for F1 nerds (I mean this in a good way, really). The rest of us just want to see a race every now and again.

Great news about Patrick Head being knighted

Great mark of respect for a big player in F1 over the last 30 years

Hadn’t heard that but fully endorse it, for what my opinion’s worth. 🙂

this the same patrick head, technical cheif, that was accused of covering up that Williams had cut and welded Senna’s steering column in a hurry and with no testing on it and no permission from C.Whiting, ultimatley causing the death of said driver…and repeatedly failed to appear at subsequent trial, did not return to Italy at all until trial was over, and only made a small written statement contradicting C.Whiting, and also that somehow the black box removed and was intact according to the FIA official that removed it and gave it to Williams somehow became damaged and data could not be recovered……all allegedly of course…

Yep, all allegedly – driven by a frenzied Italian police investigation looking for anyone to pin the blame on

20 years later nothing has come out of the woodwork to support the allegations

On a more positive side of his contributions to the sport, two people who Patrick Head mentored early in their career have become legends in their own right

Ross Brawn & Adrian Newey

I reckon that there was quite possibly some underhand goings on to check that the steering column hadn’t caused the crash (and I don’t reckon it did) or anything else similar but that the actual cause was cold tyres, lack of ground clearance and bad luck in the suspension arm hitting his helmet.

But that’s a whole different topic I guess.

i think whats interesting is how its not so clear cut when you read the official transcripts of the Court Case…. quite a few statements from Williams officials contradict other statements from FIA officials at the time – also I am not sure the Court should have taken official statements of the car’s worthyness to drive after steering modifications/viewing the cockpit video of the crash from 2 drivers employed by williams at the time….
(also contradicted by another driver who was not in employment)

I get the point but I see that more as people not trusting the Italian legal system to be entirely fair and covering their arses rather than being as transparent as they may have been.

I don’t suppose we’ll ever know the full truth.

I think it’s interesting that you’ve managed to make some fairly hefty implications of wrongdoings without making a single specific allegation or offering a shred of evidence. Good going.

@pondo

just search the net for “senna files” and read them all for yourself.
the accusations are not made by me, but in fact, the italian courts over the death of senna – hence the reason why he was prosecuted for manslaughter

Are you jhj? 🙂

Is that the Italian courts where the legal system requires someone to be found guilty in the case of accidental death, or something daft like that? I wouldn’t particularly trust them to reach an accurate verdict – see Meredith Kercher, the Piazza Fontana bombings, etc etc etc

i’ve never mentioned whether i thought the verdict was wrong or right … jeez pondo you need to read these posts a bit more!

lets face it, our judicial system aint too great either is it – just look at the 200 hour community service driver get here for killing cyclists in broad daylight while texting ….

It’s all getting a bit heavy.

Here is a photo to cheer you all up:

i’ve never mentioned whether i thought the verdict was wrong or right … jeez pondo you need to read these posts a bit more!

I know, I’m such a fool. There was me thinking that, in response to posts congratulating Patrick Head on receiving an honour from Her Majesty, when you said…

this the same patrick head, technical cheif, that was accused of covering up that Williams had cut and welded Senna’s steering column in a hurry and with no testing on it and no permission from C.Whiting, ultimatley causing the death of said driver..

… There was me thinking the tone of your writing suggested that you somehow thought him culpable of Senna’s death. Really, I shouldn’t be allowed on the internet at all.

apologies from me, im just in a bored trolling mood, all good fun Pondo 🙂

can someone tell lewis that its not 1998?

He does come over as a bit of a prick doesn’t he? If he was female, he’d be an air headed fashionista…

<edit> Hammy obviously, not you two up there ^ 😀

weren’t those trainers on Back to the Future?

@reggiegasket
maybe he has a flux capacitor in that back of that Merc 😀

cloudy this weekend in Austria, not sure about rain – would be nice to see how things pan out if a full wet setup…

seems the McLaren-Honda drivers change thier tune every day swinging for utter dispair to “we are all doing great”….
Ron has been very quiet of late….

I wonder if Alonso, who is very fond of LeMans has seen what Nico H did at the weekend and thought “hmmmmmm…..lets look at my ‘early exit’ clause….”

seems RBR and Torro Rosso might both be back with Ferrari engines for 2016 (and in the case of RBR , maybe earlier!) despite ‘B’ spec engine – i think the crunch decision is coming for Renault – all in , or all out, because what they have at the moment just isnt good for marketing…

Alonso won’t be quitting F1 yet. He needs that third championship to elevate his status for the long term.

Not sure I can see RBR with Ferrari regardless of the comments about Ferrari B being better than Renault A unless it’s simply to ensure some competitive running for a year or two before, for example, Audi came in.

Kimi being Kimi!…

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/119554

And as Autosport sometimes limits article viewing…

Kimi Raikkonen has slammed Formula 1’s media for speculating about his Ferrari future, following reports he could have to take a paycut to keep racing in 2016.

The Finn’s future beyond the end of this season is unclear at the moment, with Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene saying earlier this year an extension to Raikkonen’s deal “depends on his performance”.

Raikkonen said during pre-season testing “there is an option in the contract”, but he added at the time he wouldn’t “worry about it”.

When asked in Austria on Thursday about rumours of a paycut for 2016, Raikkonen criticised those in the media speculating on his future.

“I heard something about that – I’d be interested to know who wrote it,” said the 2007 world champion.

“First of all you have no idea what my contract says. You never have.

“It’s the bullshit nonsense you guys come up with all the time. It’s fine with me.

“Have you seen my contract? So you just come up with bullshit – yes or no?

“You don’t know the contract but you write stuff. You write stuff that’s not true.

“Maybe you should start writing some things that make sense.”

After admonishing the press, Raikkonen finished with: “Write what you want, I don’t

Leave him alone, he knows what he’s doing…

Bernie , Max and Totto all were at lunch – fly on the wall /tablecloth for what was talked about there?

A few years ago there was talk of a breakaway of F1 – nothing ever came of it, but i do wonder if Mad Max with all his talk of a “new generation” of F1 being required is positioning himself for something -having Bernie on his side might just help –

to be honest it would not be a big task with Bernie on your side,
all your doing is setting up a framework of new rules and regulations and if the entire grid ends up signing up to yours and leaving the FIA , then so be it – BERNIE is the one who holds the naming rights of F1 and all the commercial agreements with the circuit owners and the big TV money…..
the question would be who would be head of the this new rule making organisation – i suspect as a sweetner it would be a % of teams and % for bernie and a % for Max – errrr i mean – the new guy…..
😉

When was the last time F1 was in Austria?

There is a rumour that Kimi is looking to take over Moto X GP’s from Youthstream. He has his own team Ice 1 Red Bull racing that lead the MXGP world championship with Max Nagl

that mclaren/honda is a real dog…. breaks down in pit lane heading for it’s first practise lap !!!! brand new engine Alonso’s 5th 😯

When was the last time F1 was in Austria?

Last year

Good on Kimi though!

Vettel’s blown something