Formula1 2013 thread

[The Boston Dangler]

if you remove vettel, not a bad race. there were several big moves, made possible by a well-designed track. and the drivers' supermodel girlfriends were on parade, in addition to the local texas furniture

that seems to be the state of f1 for a while: "if you remove vettel, not bad..."

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Ars goes behind the scenes with the Caterham F1 racing team

 

[manimal]

http://globoesporte.globo.com/motor...-confia-em-acerto-de-maldonado-com-lotus.html

Brazilian sport magazine said inside source all but confirms Maldonado to lotus. Looks like lotus may take the blood money.

 

[boomhower]

if you remove vettel, not a bad race. there were several big moves, made possible by a well-designed track. and the drivers' supermodel girlfriends were on parade, in addition to the local texas furniture

that seems to be the state of f1 for a while: "if you remove vettel, not bad..."

Agreed. Decent battles throughout the field, just not at the lead where everyone wants it. Track wise it's probably my favorite on the schedule. Two DRS with three legit passing areas.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Dario Franchitti: Indycar champion forced to retire on medical advice

what a shame, this guy is a master. maybe with some time off he can do occasional events like le mans or something, but that is just my wishful thinking.

That's too bad. I like Dario, he's a genuinely nice guy and a talented driver. I got his autograph a few years ago when he was racing at Long Beach.

I didn't even bother watching the race yesterday. First race this season I've not watched.

 

[_Rick_]

So Vettel outqualifies Webber by a second in the wet, following him relatively directly (so no wetter/drier), and replicates the lap twice.

I'm impressed.
And a bit disappointed that Webber didn't manage to get any closer, and that Grosjean was unlucky with his timing on the inters.
Race tomorrow looks like it's Vettel's to give away. If it's another rainy/mixed day, this is going to be epic - for the points. If Kovaleinen and Grosjean get far enough ahead of Alonso, then it may be enough for Lotus to snatch third. A single Ferrari DNF or no points and Grosjean second would need Kovaleinen ahead of the other Ferrari to take it. That's what I'll be watching for.

 

[_Rick_]

Nice race, but just a little dry for my taste.
Too bad, that Grosjean's engine blew on lap 4, and that Kovaleinen just isn't anywhere near fast enough in a race - maybe Valsecchi would have been a better choice after all.

Another decent race by Hülkenberg.

Strange, that Hamilton gets the same penalty for ending Bottas' race due to negligence, as Massa gets for cutting across the white lines.

 

[busydude]

Looking forward to a hopefully exciting 2014 season. The silly season isn't over yet.

 

[boomhower]

Even as a Vettel fan I am glad this season is over. Can't wait to see how the regs pan out next year. Is it going to be an exciting competitive season or just making laps trying to not blow up finicky engine or run out of fuel?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Snore... another race DTV didn't record and I managed to catch 3 seconds of the podium and turned the channel to NFL Football.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

well, i am glad to see the back of the 2013 season. even reporters and commentators on tv can no longer contain their frustration and boredom.

webbo is 1 my favorite drivers, and i can't wait to see him flipping lmp cars again

it seems kovaleinen will be back at caterham next year, so i'm happy to see him get a ride.

also, after 2 mediocre years of bashing his team and pondering ferrari and mclaren in every interview, di resta looks out on his ass. idiot.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

bastard maldonado goes to lotus 2014, will be utterly spanked by grosjean

 

[_Rick_]

bastard maldonado goes to lotus 2014, will be utterly spanked by grosjean

So sad for the Hülk. Really disappointed, but then the same team signed Petrov a few years back. This is more of the same.

 

[punjabiplaya]

fun season, but money rules the game huh?

F1 2013 for dummies (it's pretty good)
part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeMgvb-bvN8
part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDH-O8V5EpE
part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8JwWZmq7o0

Can't wait to see mark in LMP1

 

[satyajitmenon]

fun season, but money rules the game huh?

F1 2013 for dummies (it's pretty good)
part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeMgvb-bvN8
part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDH-O8V5EpE
part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8JwWZmq7o0

Summed up perfectly.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Summed up perfectly.

yep, that was good

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Am I the only one who doesn't dislike Vettel winning all the time?

Sure, it sucks for entertainment value pretty much knowing who's going to win without watching a single practice or qualifying, or even the race itself. But F1 is a sport. The aim of sport is to win. If the rest of the grid as a collective group suck so much that Vettel wins 9 races in a row, that's not Vettel's fault. That's the other teams' fault. He shouldn't be getting hate because the other teams suck.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Am I the only one who doesn't dislike Vettel winning all the time?

Sure, it sucks for entertainment value pretty much knowing who's going to win without watching a single practice or qualifying, or even the race itself. But F1 is a sport. The aim of sport is to win. If the rest of the grid as a collective group suck so much that Vettel wins 9 races in a row, that's not Vettel's fault. That's the other teams' fault. He shouldn't be getting hate because the other teams suck.

I get both sides of this. I don't like seeing Vettel winning all the time, I want more competition. Seeing him run away in the first 10 laps makes the racing boring. But I also appreciate his craft and the combination of him and the team dominating. Not like I can change the outcome of the racing, so I just sit back and enjoy.

 

[boomhower]

Am I the only one who doesn't dislike Vettel winning all the time?

Sure, it sucks for entertainment value pretty much knowing who's going to win without watching a single practice or qualifying, or even the race itself. But F1 is a sport. The aim of sport is to win. If the rest of the grid as a collective group suck so much that Vettel wins 9 races in a row, that's not Vettel's fault. That's the other teams' fault. He shouldn't be getting hate because the other teams suck.

I am a Vettel fan and I agree. It's not Vettel winning, it's any driver dominating like that. Same thing in NASCAR with Jimmy Johnson a couple years ago. Good competition is needed for any sport to remain interesting over the long term. I have a feeling next year is going to be very very interesting from a reliability standpoint if nothing else. The days of dead nuts reliable engines are over with for a few years. Then add the new energy recovery stuff and limited fuel, interesting times are a comin'.

 

[busydude]

Hulkenberg confirmed at FI... says it is a multi-year deal.

Also, Maldonado is heading to Lotus.. which is disappointing.

 

[_Rick_]

Let's hope Force India can get a halfway decent car for next season.
But I don't expect them to challenge Ferrari, Mercedes, Lotus or Red Bull at the start of the season, simply because those four either have in-house engine development, or very closely collaborate with Renault (Lotus being the ex-works team, and RB the team that made 4 Renault championships happen). McLaren with its short-term Mercedes deal may be within striking range, though I doubt they mess up the car again as badly as they did last season. On the other hand, given that some resources next season have to go towards getting the Honda power unit integrated, aero development may suffer a bit.

Still, FI is a place where financing wise, it should be possible to duke it out with Toro Rosse, Sauber and Williams, without much trouble.

 

[JulesMaximus]

fun season, but money rules the game huh?

F1 2013 for dummies (it's pretty good)
part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeMgvb-bvN8
part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDH-O8V5EpE
part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8JwWZmq7o0

Can't wait to see mark in LMP1

LOL! That's pretty good.

 

[merlion]

It's sad that a twerp like Maldonado gets a drive with Lotus solely because of his financial backing from the national Venezuelan oil company. Hulkenberg would mop the floor with him, just as Grosjean surely will.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Hulkenberg confirmed at FI... says it is a multi-year deal.

Also, Maldonado is heading to Lotus.. which is disappointing.

How Lotus confirmed Crashtor Maldozer: https://twitter.com/Lotus_F1Team/status/406453321109471233

And a gif:

 

[Topweasel]

How Lotus confirmed Crashtor Maldozer: https://twitter.com/Lotus_F1Team/status/406453321109471233

And a gif:

I get the first contact, but WTH was with that heavy turn to the left after they had straightened out. If there wasn't a technical reason for that I hope he got a ban in GP2. That is one of the worst moves I have seen in open wheel racing. Tops the Senna/Prost moves or Villinueve/Hill hits from Schumi. Disgraceful.