Official 2015 Formula One Thread!

[_Rick_]

Tuned in half-way through, to see Verstappen drop out from a decent position, one of my more courageous picks, it appears.
Sauber look strong - as long as they can afford to travel to the circuits and keep making parts.

Saw Raikönnen's pit stop and was surprised they let him go as far as they did. Pit stops in general seemed to be very slow.

I wonder if some of the unreliability of the Renault engine is because they are allowed to do in-season development and thus running less validated hardware than they did last year. All the fears we had in 2014 with half the field not making it, have come true in 2015.

And I have no idea what McLaren was doing. Renault were in a dire situation last year, and still are, but the Honda-McLaren partnership shows that even that wasn't too bad after all.

 

[Meghan54]

And I have no idea what McLaren was doing. Renault were in a dire situation last year, and still are, but the Honda-McLaren partnership shows that even that wasn't too bad after all.

I don't think McLaren knows what McLaren or Honda is doing. But at least Button did run the entire race and put the most laps on the McLaren so far. I think they said the car had only done 12 laps prior to the race....in total.


Vettel and Ferrari looked racy, esp. seeing Vettel handle Massa so "easily", until you notice the margin of victory the Merc boys had on Vettel...34 sec.

Sauber looked particularly good for what it is. Red Bull.....oh well, there's always the next race.

 

[Brian Stirling]

11 now.

They screwed up Kimi's left rear hub during a pit stop.

Alonso's car didn't even start, so he didn't miss anything.

The Ferraris actually look pretty fast.

I wonder if Kimi fucked up his wheel in the first lap incidents he had -- might not have been the mechanics fault...

I do hope the red car is competitive this year and that Willimans, Redbull and Sauber are also in the mix.


Brian

 

[felang]

Another thing annoying about the new F1 website is they seem to have removed the feature that allows me to see all times in MY local time. So irritating to convert each P1,P2,P3,Q and Race through a 3rd website.

Yes definitely, I hate it when "upgrades" have less functionality.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Yes definitely, I hate it when "upgrades" have less functionality.

i thought maybe rolex would have something to say about it, but hey wtf1...

 

[The Boston Dangler]

another convulsion in the death throes of f1 today - there will be no 2015 german gp. hockenheimring has declined taking over the even from nurburgring.

 

[JulesMaximus]

another convulsion in the death throes of f1 today - there will be no 2015 german gp. hockenheimring has declined taking over the even from nurburgring.

Good riddance. I hate that track. They fucked it up over a decade ago when they cut out the huge loop that ran straight out into the forest.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Fernando Alonso documentary: Last race with Ferrari

i just watched pt 1, this is great stuff!

http://www.motorsport.com/all/video...documentary-my-last-race-at-ferrari-part-2-2/
part 2

 

[KingstonU]

Button did all that work in what is likely the best fluke race for Mclaren to score a lucky point, and he came just shy at a close 11th place. God that must be more disappointing then if he had come in like 20th.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Button did all that work in what is likely the best fluke race for Mclaren to score a lucky point, and he came just shy at a close 11th place. God that must be more disappointing then if he had come in like 20th.

I think there were only 11 cars running at the end.

 

[LTC8K6]

I think there were only 11 cars running at the end.

Yep, Button was 11th and 2 laps down.

Nasr got 10 points for finishing 5th, over 1.5 minutes behind Hamilton, and the last car on the lead lap.

No one was even as close as 30 seconds to the Mercedes team.

It was really a ridiculous one team race.

Hopefully it was an anomaly.

http://www.formula1.com/content/fom...race-results/2015-australia-results/race.html

 

[Meghan54]

Yep, Button was 11th and 2 laps down.

Nasr got 10 points for finishing 5th, over 1.5 minutes behind Hamilton, and the last car on the lead lap.

No one was even as close as 30 seconds to the Mercedes team.

It was really a ridiculous one team race.

Hopefully it was an anomaly.

Probably won't change much over the year. Ferrari seems to be improving, but has a bit to go.

Red Bull, on the other hand, was the big surprise for me, at least. Horrible performance and Renault has pretty much said their engine development has not progressed but regressed.

As for the one team dominance, it's not exactly like that's strange. F1 has a history of single team dominance, or at least single engine mfgr. dominance.

Ford was the go-to engine back in the '70's. Ferrari dominated for a 5 or 6 year stretch. Renault has dominated before Red Bull's 4 year domination. Honda dominated with Williams over 6 or 7 years.

So, not surprised one mfgr. has gotten it better than the others.....happens all the time. It will balance out on its own, but will take time, meaning years.

 

[boomhower]

Unless a pretty big rule change comes along the only hope we have for a challenge to Mercedes is Honda. Clearly at the moment they aren't even in the ballpark but I would say it's a safe bet the base design is very similar, they just have to get it sorted. Hopefully by next year they will have a competitive power plant. Renault seems to be a lost cause. They don't seem to have improved and without a rule change it simply isn't possible for them to get where Mercedes is, the base design is subpar which they aren't allowed to change.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Unless a pretty big rule change comes along the only hope we have for a challenge to Mercedes is Honda. Clearly at the moment they aren't even in the ballpark but I would say it's a safe bet the base design is very similar, they just have to get it sorted. Hopefully by next year they will have a competitive power plant. Renault seems to be a lost cause. They don't seem to have improved and without a rule change it simply isn't possible for them to get where Mercedes is, the base design is subpar which they aren't allowed to change.

Actually, it sounds like Ferrari has made significant improvements in there engine over last year -- I seem to recall hearing it's something like 80hp higher than last year. Also, Ferrari looks to be closer and likely the second place team after Mercedes.

Renault looks to be hopeless and Red Bull appears to know it. RB may have the best chassis but without a reliable power plant making competitive power and fuel economy the best chassis isn't going to get them where they want to be.

Honda's in trouble and the teams that use them are also in trouble. If the teams using them burn through a couple engine early on they'll have to really detune to keep them alive so whatever power deficiency they have now will only get worse.

I'm guessing the top 8 cars will all be powered by Mercedes and Ferrari...


Brian

 

[Meghan54]

I'm just wondering what the hell Renault was doing over the last year? Ferrari improved its performance with their updated design this year.....Renault---who know? They certainly regressed.

And anyone read about Red Bull whining to F1 about their performance deficit and wanting F1 to force Mercedes to detune?

Vettel was smart to make his move to Ferrari.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

I'm just wondering what the hell Renault was doing over the last year? Ferrari improved its performance with their updated design this year.....Renault---who know? They certainly regressed.

And anyone read about Red Bull whining to F1 about their performance deficit and wanting F1 to force Mercedes to detune?

Vettel was smart to make his move to Ferrari.

yeah, the wheel has fully turned on red bull. when they dominated 4 on the run, they sang a very different tune.

toto wolff's (mercedes team principal) response:

I think ‘just get your f-----g head down, work hard and try to sort it out’. I didn’t mean the F-word in relation to him [Horner]. If you come into Formula One, try to beat each other and perform at the highest level and then you need equalisation after the first race - you cry out after the first race - that’s not how we’ve done things in the past. There is this wall in Jerusalem that you can stand in front and complain, maybe the guys should go there.

 

[merlion]

Yeah, Horner is such a hypocrite. He certainly wouldn't have advocated such a thing when Red Bull was riding high.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

will buxton tears red bull a new one:

https://willthef1journo.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/red-bull-wants-to-quit-let-it/

Comments made by Cyril Abiteboul to the French press after Australia should leave Red Bull feeling chastened, as the Managing Director of Renault Sport F1 admitted that the power units used by Red Bull in Melbourne included components which had been rushed through against the advice and regular testing processes employed at Viry Chatillon. Abiteboul, far from admitting Mea Cupla, stood firmly in his employer’s corner and came out swinging. It was Red Bull which had ordered the rush. It was Red Bull which had insisted on running brand new parts. It was Red Bull which was the architect of its own downfall

It’s a stunt Luca di Montezemolo used to employ at Ferrari. When things aren’t going your way, threaten to pull the most storied brand in the sport out of competition, and you’ll get your way. Only di Montezemolo stopped getting his way. And then he stopped getting the support of his bosses. And then he got replaced.

When have you heard McLaren threaten to quit? Even in Melbourne, running five seconds a lap off the pace, Ron Dennis was nothing but effervescent about the future possibilities of his team’s partnership with Honda. When have you heard Williams threaten to walk away? These two great, once dominant, multiple world championship winning teams are the epitome of racing resilience. Neither has taken a constructors’ crown in over a decade and a half. Yet where is the quit threat?

 

[boomhower]

Actually, it sounds like Ferrari has made significant improvements in there engine over last year -- I seem to recall hearing it's something like 80hp higher than last year. Also, Ferrari looks to be closer and likely the second place team after Mercedes.

Renault looks to be hopeless and Red Bull appears to know it. RB may have the best chassis but without a reliable power plant making competitive power and fuel economy the best chassis isn't going to get them where they want to be.

Honda's in trouble and the teams that use them are also in trouble. If the teams using them burn through a couple engine early on they'll have to really detune to keep them alive so whatever power deficiency they have now will only get worse.

I'm guessing the top 8 cars will all be powered by Mercedes and Ferrari...


Brian

Ferrari has been amazing, by far the best of the rest in improvement over last year. Vettel looks like a genious in making the move. But they are still way way off the pace of Mercedes. They have made great advances in what they have but from my understanding of the rules the base engine design is just wrong compared to Mercedes, they can close the gap but will never be able to match it. I'm still holding out hope than Honda can bring it to the table down the line.

Unless Renault buys Toro Rosso I don't see them staying in the sport much longer.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Ferrari has been amazing, by far the best of the rest in improvement over last year. Vettel looks like a genious in making the move. But they are still way way off the pace of Mercedes. They have made great advances in what they have but from my understanding of the rules the base engine design is just wrong compared to Mercedes, they can close the gap but will never be able to match it. I'm still holding out hope than Honda can bring it to the table down the line.

Unless Renault buys Toro Rosso I don't see them staying in the sport much longer.

renault has been hinting they want a factory team again, most likely buying back their old team, lotus (haha, the surviving fake lotus). if they do it, then the renault-branded engines are here to stay.

also, audi hired former ferrari principal stephano domenicali for an f1 feasibility study. nobody knows the results of it, but buxton made a good point of saying "red bull, F.O. and sell out to audi".

i don't see red bull leaving any time soon, however. they've been sponsors of f1 for about 20 years, got a sweetheart deal on 2 teams in order to prop up f1 in general, have built the red bull technology centre (which is straight out of sci-fi with a price to match), purchased and renovated a race track, built a deep driver development program, and are contracted to 2020. they've committed billions of dollars in the past, billions in the present, and billions in the future of not just sponsoring motorsports but actually participating at the highest levels.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

/rant on

the entry of 1 or 2 car manufacturers and honda motors doesn't change my pessimistic view of f1, however. the sport is totally borked and heading to oblivion. the rules are as pathetic as the ruling body, tv numbers are down, ticket sales are way down, and sponsors can't bail out fast enough. mclaren can't get sponsors. mclaren!

and now the german gp is dead because they barely drew 50,000 people last year. even having a german 4-time champion in a ferrari and another german in an all-conquering mercedes benz isn't enough generate interest.

with 2 suitable tracks and the strongest economy in europe, germany is gone. france is long gone. next to go are spa and monza. 2016 will feature the european gp held glorious azerbaijan, home of a rich motoring heritage and not at all at the center of multiple sports scandals, conveniently located about 300 miles from tehran, iran and over 1000 miles from anything that can be considered europe.

 

[_Rick_]

I don't think it's quite as dire as you paint it.
The Nürburgring has been on life support for the past decade, and its failure to host a GP this year was a matter of time more than anything else.

I don't know why Hockenheim last year was so badly under-visited, but I expect that pricing had a lot to do with it. Them not wanting to pay up on an off-year isn't that surprising given the circumstances. On the other hand, I expect Hockenheim to be back next year, and a solution has to be found for the 'Ring -- I can't expect it to continue its twilight existence much longer.

 

[LTC8K6]

I think Raikonnen probably finishes 4th or at least 5th if not for the wheel problem, putting Ferrari second in the constructor points. But alas...

 

[Ophir]

I don't think it's quite as dire as you paint it.
The Nürburgring has been on life support for the past decade, and its failure to host a GP this year was a matter of time more than anything else.

I don't know why Hockenheim last year was so badly under-visited, but I expect that pricing had a lot to do with it. Them not wanting to pay up on an off-year isn't that surprising given the circumstances. On the other hand, I expect Hockenheim to be back next year, and a solution has to be found for the 'Ring -- I can't expect it to continue its twilight existence much longer.

In addition, I suspect it's facing the same problem as the rest of sports - it's generally much more enjoyable to watch the event on HDTV. I can't think of a sporting event with
a bigger delta between in-person and on TV than car racing. The spectacle aside, watching a race in-person sucks. So much better to watch it on the couch and you save a couple hundred bucks.

 

[tweakmonkey]

One more plug for this game:
http://badgergp.com

We have a few people signed up here. It's a lot of fun so create a team before it's too late

Rick's post:

"Your new league called 'AT Garage' is ready and the code is: 472091"