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Thread: Formula 1 2018

  1. #251
    Grand Master PickleB's Avatar
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    How's this for a prediction (@ 2m05s): BBC link?

  2. #252
    Quote Originally Posted by PickleB View Post
    How's this for a prediction (@ 2m05s): BBC link?
    Well it's looking like they'll be the top 6 finishers with a reasonable chance that Lewis will be No.1, the rest IMO is a little more unpredictable.

    I understand where he's coming from however it does disappoint me when statements like that are made with no follow-up solutions or ideas as to how to rectify the issue raised. Regulation stability would be one, a greater spread of finances is another (and is one that is being spoken about) however in a manufacturer championship there will always be disparity between some teams and those that quite simply do a better job than others with the resources at their disposal. That is entirely fair enough.

    What I wouldn't want to see is some form of artificial balance of performance. BTCC has weight penalties for the cars that finish at the sharper end of a race and some sports car categories have power adjustments (via air restrictors) in an attempt to keep things even, it works in those series however F1 does well to avoid such activities IMO. I suppose it could be argued that DRS is an artificial form of BOP, there are also a few shared components such as the McLaren supplied ECU. Whilst such components exist primarily as a way of keeping costs down they also have a slight degree of even handedness about them as well.
    Last edited by CardShark; 20th March 2018 at 13:55.

  3. #253
    Getting closer now, and any excuse to play this one again. I couldn't find it for ages but here it is (for now)... the bonkers Japanese TV intro to F1 from 2007:



    (p.s. For those worrying about Fantasy F1 stuff cropping up in this thread, I understand. From previous years, the chat dies down pretty rapidly once speedmaster Keke takes a commanding lead. Your temporary tolerance is appreciated)

  4. #254
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    I found Mark Priestley https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTs...GiasqVQJn8y3Xw an interesting watch on Youtube. Does some good vlogs and analysis. Used to work as pit crew for Mclaren and now does stuff for Sky F1

  5. #255
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    Hibernation is over and it is time to race once again . Signed for the Fantasy League.

  6. #256
    With FP1 and FP2 complete, what have we learned?

    Next to nothing. Or at least, no more than we already knew. The top three teams (Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull) occupy the sharp end, with Mercedes looking ominously quick. Compared with 2017 the only real change at the top of the order is that Valtteri Bottas has now established himself as a front-runner, and indeed a race winner, so expect him to be closer to Hamilton. Looking at the car through the fast left-right at the end of the long curve at the back of the circuit (I yearn for a return to the days when corners had names), it changes direction better than any other, which must provide the drivers with so much confidence.

    Paul di Resta said on commentary that during testing and today's free practice sessions he felt that Ferrari had been sandbagging - if they put softer tyres on they turned the engine modes down, and turned them up when they put harder tyres on. They're probably not alone.

    One slight surprise today is that Haas seem to be "best of the rest", although as expected the midfield appears to consist of everybody that isn't Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull or Sauber, the latter being slightly off the pace owing to a slightly wayward rear end.

    One incident right at the end of FP2 might cause concern for the Mercedes runners, although it might be attributable to the engine packaging on the Williams. At the end of each of today's sessions the drivers were allowed to practice a race start from the grid, to make sure that they could see the start lights (and the additional sets located further along the grid) due to the now mandatory Halo. Lance Stroll's Williams apparently overheated as a result of spending too long going through his start procedure, and the team instructed him to drive slowly back to the pits, but when the temperatures remained high he was told to stop the car out on the circuit.

    The teams have been quite conservative with their running today, mindful that the engines that they're using now ideally need to last until Monaco, as they only have three internal combustion engines, turbochargers and MHU-H's for the season, and two MGU-K's and battery packs.

    Rain is predicted for tomorrow's FP3 session, although it may have stopped before Qualifying. Melbourne is rather like the old Hockenheim in places, with trees overhanging the track, and where this is the case the track surface doesn't dry very quickly, so areas of the track can be completely dry, with sections of the first sector remaining wet. As yet no reliable weather prediction has been given for the race.

    More later.
    Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.

  7. #257
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    The shoulder cam view with the halo in place is very poor

  8. #258
    I thought channel 4 may have had the first race live.. but no..

  9. #259
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    Quote Originally Posted by minkle View Post
    I thought channel 4 may have had the first race live.. but no..
    Probably doesn’t make sense due to the U.K. start time. Low audience equals low advertising money

  10. #260
    Quote Originally Posted by reecie View Post
    Probably doesn’t make sense due to the U.K. start time. Low audience equals low advertising money
    Yes very true

  11. #261
    It’s a shame the TV camera couldn’t be moved to the middle of the halo. Apparently the 4 TV camera locations have to be finalised in June the previous year so this year’s positions were decided 9 months ago. A camera in the middle of the halo would be as near to driver’s eye view as we’ve had.

  12. #262
    Good idea. Hopefully next year.

  13. #263
    Quote Originally Posted by Backward point View Post

    Rain is predicted for tomorrow's FP3 session, although it may have stopped before Qualifying.
    It's not just the rain that could affect quali, the air temperatures are predicted to be a good few degrees cooler as well and if the sun isn't shining then this will have a knock-on effect on track temperatures. The teams may have run today's sessions in the knowledge that Saturday's weather will be different however it does open up the opportunity for slight lap time variations.

    Unfortunately Daniel Ricciardo has been given the first grid penalty of 2018. He's been found guilty of driving below the minimum sector time (i.e. driving too quickly) in a couple of sectors after a red flag had been shown, his punishment is a 3 place grid penalty and 2 points on his license. The FIA did acknowledge that DR had slowed significantly compared to times set in those sectors on previous laps and have commented that no danger was created, the penalties could have been much more severe if it wasn't for his obvious "lift" and intent to comply. Neither RB or their driver are contesting it with DR admitting to misreading his dash display, he thought he'd slowed enough but hadn't.

    There's a little bit of chatter about oil burning again. The limit for this season is 0.6l per 100k, down from 1.2l and then 0.9l last season, however due to the short nature of a quali session with comparatively few laps being run the error rate in the equipment being used to measure this isn't narrow enough to accurately pin each engine's exact usage down. The implication here is that teams may be able to up the burn rates on Saturdays without detection, however the FIA may be taking other steps in order to rectify this.

    Some more random information - apparently Force India were concentrating on mileage and bedding in of new systems during the two week test session and that it was using 2017 aero components in order to run with a known baseline, and their rumored name change (dropping the word "India" in order to encourage more sponsorship) may never actually happen.

    I won't be able to watch quali or the race live and will be relying on C4's coverage, I'll come back to this thread accordingly. I don't mind admitting that I'm getting a bit excited.

  14. #264
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    I've followed F1 for 35 years and I'm afraid I'm completed disengaged from this season, no idea how testing went, no idea when the first GP is. Lots of little things have chipped away at my interest not least the increasing emphasis on pay TV. However the final straw was Kubica not getting the Williams drive. All the journalist say he's a very special talent who lives to race, another Senna or Schumacher who can galvanise a team around them. Twenty years ago Williams would have taken the gamble, now they've just run the numbers and I'm afraid that's symptomatic of the whole thing.

  15. #265
    Master MakeColdplayHistory's Avatar
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    My word... that's close impressive.
    Last edited by MakeColdplayHistory; 24th March 2018 at 08:10.

  16. #266

    Quote Originally Posted by MakeColdplayHistory View Post
    My word... that's close impressive.

    Lewis crushed that lap.

  17. #267
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    Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
    Friedrich Nietzsche


  18. #268
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    It will be interesting to see if Ferrari impose team orders this early in the season if Seb can’t get the jump on Kimi.

  19. #269
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    Quote Originally Posted by jaytip View Post
    It will be interesting to see if Ferrari impose team orders this early in the season if Seb can’t get the jump on Kimi.
    Interesting, or a foregone conclusion? Anyways that final run if Q3 had my jaw dropping, 4 tenths up in S1 alone, by christ it was astonishing.

  20. #270
    Smashed it out of the (Albert) park, and then some.

  21. #271
    Ferrari have always had a driver hierarchy, and it's worked well for them. It's a team sport, and you pass the ball to the man most likely to score. They will usually race each other until the pit stops have played out, at which point the positions are as instructed by the team.

    I hope that Ferrari and Red Bull can at least match the Mercedes on race pace. Nobody apart from the fanboys wants another Mercedes benefit year, and while they can turn the engine up to 11 in Qualifying, they'll need to be more conservative in the race. Melbourne isn't known for overtaking opportunities, although there are three DRS zones this year, so we'll have to wait and see. Early season reliability issues or over-enthusiasm usually means that a finish might be worth a point or two.

    Is anybody else getting up early tomorrow?
    Last edited by Backward point; 24th March 2018 at 15:30.
    Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.

  22. #272
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    Well that's the end of F1 for me sooooooooooo boring.

  23. #273
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    Quote Originally Posted by Backward point View Post
    Nobody apart from the fanboys wants another Mercedes benefit year
    Odd comment to make. While I agree close racing is absolutely a good thing for the viewer, if you are a Mercedes fan then of course you want to see Mercedes win again (for the avoidance of doubt, I’m a McLaren fan) but then that same mentality would apply wether you support RB, Ferrari or any of the other teams on the grid.

  24. #274
    Quote Originally Posted by Backward point View Post

    I hope that Ferrari and Red Bull can at least match the Mercedes on race pace.

    Is anybody else getting up early tomorrow?
    I think they'll be closer on race pace, here's hoping anyway. I see that Botas will be starting 15th on the grid after damaging his gearbox in that smash, it will be interesting to see how far he can climb.

    I won't be up early, in fact I won't be able to watch C4's highlights until after they've shown them. Must keep away from all forms of media until then...

    Quote Originally Posted by mjc1216 View Post
    Well that's the end of F1 for me sooooooooooo boring.
    Let's remember that this was the first quali session of a 21 race year long event, it's a little too early to write the championship off just yet.

  25. #275
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    I just watched the qualy highlights on C4. I was amazed by the amount of carbon debris that flew off VB'c car. Big impact and that'll be a long shift for the mechanics :-(

    Not sure I'm going to get used to seeing the halo. It looks damn awful.
    Last edited by Mouse; 24th March 2018 at 16:31.

  26. #276
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    Quote Originally Posted by jaytip View Post
    Odd comment to make. While I agree close racing is absolutely a good thing for the viewer, if you are a Mercedes fan then of course you want to see Mercedes win again (for the avoidance of doubt, I’m a McLaren fan) but then that same mentality would apply wether you support RB, Ferrari or any of the other teams on the grid.

    Agreed, but strangely I don't remember people moaning about "benefit years" when Red Bull won 4 World Championships (via Vettel) Year after year or when Ferrari managed 5 WC's via MS.

    Even the fanboys boys want to see close racing with lots of incident, but at the end of day they still want to see their man standing on top of podium.

    Bottomline is that that its up to Ferrari, RB, etc to make this year interesting and not for Mercedes (and Hamilton) to "dumb it down" in order to make other drivers and teams competitive.

    Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
    Friedrich Nietzsche


  27. #277
    Something not quite right here


  28. #278
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andyg View Post
    Agreed, but strangely I don't remember people moaning about "benefit years" when Red Bull won 4 World Championships (via Vettel) Year after year or when Ferrari managed 5 WC's via MS.

    Even the fanboys boys want to see close racing with lots of incident, but at the end of day they still want to see their man standing on top of podium.

    Bottomline is that that its up to Ferrari, RB, etc to make this year interesting and not for Mercedes (and Hamilton) to "dumb it down" in order to make other drivers and teams competitive.
    Completely agree,

    Stunning qualifying lap by Hamilton.

  29. #279
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    Quote Originally Posted by CardShark View Post
    Something not quite right here

    I’m looking but I’m not seeing what you are?

  30. #280
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    No totty...
    Cheers..
    Jase

  31. #281
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    Quote Originally Posted by CardShark View Post
    Something not quite right here

    Is it that the place markers have the old F1 logo?

  32. #282
    Quote Originally Posted by StackH View Post
    Is it that the place markers have the old F1 logo?
    Bingo.

  33. #283
    Quote Originally Posted by StackH View Post
    Is it that the place markers have the old F1 logo?
    Speaking of which, the onscreen graphics have obviously also been given a major revamp (in line with the new logo).

    Blimey, there’s a lot going on now! It might take a bit of time to adjust to them.

  34. #284
    I really liked the new graphics, especially the one which showed which corner a car was in.

  35. #285
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gareth-W View Post
    Lewis crushed that lap.
    I've gone off F1 in recent years but that lap today was incredible. He had the car dancing around the track and adjusting the brake bias between corners too!

  36. #286
    Master MakeColdplayHistory's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Backward point View Post
    I hope that Ferrari and Red Bull can at least match the Mercedes on race pace. Nobody apart from the fanboys wants another Mercedes benefit year, and while they can turn the engine up to 11 in Qualifying, they'll need to be more conservative in the race. Melbourne isn't known for overtaking opportunities, although there are three DRS zones this year, so we'll have to wait and see. Early season reliability issues or over-enthusiasm usually means that a finish might be worth a point or two.
    Quote Originally Posted by jaytip View Post
    Odd comment to make. While I agree close racing is absolutely a good thing for the viewer, if you are a Mercedes fan then of course you want to see Mercedes win again (for the avoidance of doubt, I’m a McLaren fan) but then that same mentality would apply wether you support RB, Ferrari or any of the other teams on the grid.
    Quote Originally Posted by Andyg View Post
    Even the fanboys boys want to see close racing with lots of incident, but at the end of day they still want to see their man standing on top of podium.
    Bottomline is that that its up to Ferrari, RB, etc to make this year interesting and not for Mercedes (and Hamilton) to "dumb it down" in order to make other drivers and teams competitive.
    Are we not all agreeing? Nobody want Mercedes to walk it but it's up to the other teams to compete. For me, I hope it's nip and tuck all season with Lewis winning it on the last lap of the last race (ideally last corner) but if it's an exciting season and Vettel or Max take it I'll be happy too.

    Quote Originally Posted by Backward point View Post
    Is anybody else getting up early tomorrow?
    I won't set an alarm but I'm normally awake early anyway. I'll get up when I wake up, see what's happening in the cricket and decide what to watch from there. I'm not quite sure in timings but I might end up watching the cricket to close of play then F1 from recorded but 'as live' so avoiding this thread 'til the end.

  37. #287
    Master Lampoc's Avatar
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    Who else is up at idiot-o'clock to watch the race? It certainly doesn't look like overtaking is going to be any easier this year.

  38. #288
    Master MakeColdplayHistory's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lampoc View Post
    Who else is up at idiot-o'clock to watch the race? It certainly doesn't look like overtaking is going to be any easier this year.
    I am but might go back to the cricket when play starts again.

    or, perhaps not...

    <wonders whether the words 'wipe', 'smile' or 'face' will be used during the interviews>
    Last edited by MakeColdplayHistory; 25th March 2018 at 07:45.

  39. #289
    Master Lampoc's Avatar
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    Congratulations to Seb, the 3rd best driver won today. Cue the Ferrari/Haas conspiracy theories! Felt bad for Magnussen and Grosjean though. More importantly, that was not a good race... hopefully the season can only improve from here.

  40. #290
    Hopefully not the most exciting race of the year. Being in Australia I was hoping it would be a lot more exciting, but I’m sure there will be a lot better to come which I’ll watch on the tele!
    It's just a matter of time...

  41. #291
    Grand Master PickleB's Avatar
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    What's happening? Whole sentences from Kimi on the podium...

  42. #292
    Melbourne has never been known for overtaking but Safety Cars are a regular feature, so the VSC followed by the actual Safety Car was always going to be an opportunity which the teams would have modelled into their tactics.

    This year's Mercedes seems to behave better in turbulent air than last year's, but the team were obviously concerned about engine temperatures. Could Hamilton have passed Vettel if he hadn't made a mistake? Who knows, but I expect his fluffer will be along shortly to give us his informed insight and tell us that he would.

    Ferrari did a better job today to take advantage of the circumstances, and it was a good result for the Championship. Red Bull are there or thereabouts, and the midfield are close. There was little to separate McLaren, Renault and Force India on race pace, which again bodes well for the season ahead.
    Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.

  43. #293
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    I haven’t watched it yet but seen the results, really pleased to see Alonso with a great result.
    Cheers..
    Jase

  44. #294
    Now they've got that farce out of the way let's see what happens on a race track, it's the same every year, just like Monaco

  45. #295
    Grand Master Andyg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lampoc View Post
    Congratulations to Seb, the 3rd best driver won today.
    Nicely put.

    Good news for Alonso. Not good news for Max.

    Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
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  46. #296
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    Justified schadenfreude

    Sometimes things áre just and it made for a way more interesting F1 event.

    It sure wiped the smile off Hamilton´s face.

    Ten thumbs up for Alonso.

  47. #297
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    I wonder why the second Haas stopped in a place guaranteed to require a safety car when the first stopped in a safe place.

    Nice to see plenty of teams performing well and plenty of fast cars; it bodes well for some good racing throughout the season. The lesson for Mercedes was probably to make the most of a fast car in the lead while you have the chance.

  48. #298
    Quote Originally Posted by Backward point View Post
    Ferrari did a better job today to take advantage of the circumstances, and it was a good result for the Championship. Red Bull are there or thereabouts, and the midfield are close. There was little to separate McLaren, Renault and Force India on race pace, which again bodes well for the season ahead.
    Ferrari were presented with an open goal to win the race and they took it. It was Mercedes mistake in not telling Hamilton to push and the timing of the VSC that allowed them to win. Let's be honest the result was still a farce though, the 3rd quickest driver won.

    I don't mind a farce if it leads to great racing (like Baku last year) but Australia is such a difficult track to pass on it was clear Vettel was going to win as soon as he left the pits.

    Anyway it is a good result for championship. The last thing I want this year is a easy championship win for Mercedes / Hamilton but that doesn't mean I don't want them to win it at the end if it's still close.

  49. #299
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    Great to see the drivers not objectifying women while they line up in their safety prams on the grid. Now all that distracting glamour and the good looking cars are gone we can concentrate on watching as Vettel enters the pit lane under a virtual safety car and overtakezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sorry nodded off there for a moment...

  50. #300
    They need to sort out the VSC though, it’s meant to freeze the race so no one gains an advantage, should introduce a no pit stop rule unless a car is damaged. Have been some even crazier results in F2/GP2 because of VSC.

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