Reply With QuoteThat and the pompous grammar corrections.Originally Posted by JeremyO
You always give a good analysis of the situation but I do wish you would stop making snide remarks re Hamilton supporters. It almost got out of hand earlier in the thread but was then reined in.
We know you are not a Hamilton fan but it just spoils what is usually an informed and interesting post.
That and the pompous grammar corrections.
Pleased that Alonso and McLaren are near the front.
Whatever Alonso's bad points are I love watching him.
If Hamilton can prove he was on the VSC delta limit when Vettel went past surely this is grounds for a complaint, I know it was a Ferrari but!
Vettel came out of the pits in front of Hamilton, he wasn’t travelling faster on the track.
If the cars are travelling at 50% race speed then a 20 second pit stop is effectively 10 seconds. That’s what happened today and it was just the luck of the draw!
So next time it happens all the drivers are going to go through the pits twice as fast, it's a farce, I'm a life long F1 fan, but I think I've just about given up, stupid rules not thought through and cars that are impossible to overtake. Even formula E is better than this.
I don’t think you understand what happened.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
My main problem with current F1 is the rules having evolved wáy beyond the point where they get in the way of racing: I do NOT like it AT ALL.
However, within that framework Ferrari outsmarted and outdrove Mercedes´s faster set fair and square. They were the best at current F1 and claiming anything else is just sour grapes.
Kuddos to Ferrari; they beat the top dogs. Doubly so.
That’s not what happened; he did his normal pit stop in the normal time but the cars on track were unable to cover the distance that they would have in that time under normal race conditions.
Ferrari certainly neither out drove or out smarted Mercedes today, Vettel just got a lucky break due to the timing of his pit stop. He could have quite easily come in the lap before or after Kimi and gained no advantage. It was absolutely fair and square though.
Today it was Ferrari, in subsequent races, who knows who it will be!
At least Kylie was good to watch in the end credits....
Ah well, you call it luck, I call it smart strategy making use of possibilities and circumstances.
And about the driving he did stáy in front.
So did Kimi in 3rd.
Whatever; the first race was not a Mercedes walkover despite them being the team to beat by some distance. For any rácing lover that must surely be a good thing.
Gutted for Lewis, did (almost) nothing wrong and bad timing robbed him of a deserved win.
McLaren on the other hand though look to have absolutely made the right decision to switch to Renault power. Two cars in the points whereas TR were last and retired.
Come on McLaren, onwards and upwards.
Of course Ferrari made use of the opportunities that arose, there’s no denying that. Neither am I saying that Vettel didn’t drive an excellent race. What I’m saying is that, all other things bring equal, Vettel’s beating of Kimi and Lewis was nothing to do with strategy. Well nothing beyond stYing out longer and hoping for something to happen.
I also agree that it’s a good thing for the sport that the season will hopefully not be dominated by a single team. Personally, I’d like to see a fourth or even fifth team in the mix but for now I’ll settle for three.
Ferrari outsmarted Mercedes - Hamilton was on his own at the front, Ferrari pitted Raikkonen, which meant that Mercedes had to cover them off by pitting Hamilton, although this meant Hamilton pitting earlier than he would otherwise have done which in turn meant spending more laps on the soft tyre.
Pitting Raikkonen and drawing Mercedes into pitting Hamilton left Vettel in clean air at the front. Vettel could continue on the Hypersofts for longer, giving him fresher Softs for the rest of the race. The VSC and subsequent Safety Car meant that Vettel could pit while the field was running at a reduced pace. Pit lane speed limits apply at all times, but if the field is running under VSC or the Safety Car less "racing" time is lost during the stop.
Having dropped the ball several times in recent seasons by misjudging tactics, Ferrari got this one right. Mercedes were compromised because Bottas was out of the running, and they weren't able to use him to run a split strategy at the front.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Oh come on. Even Vettel admitted he was lucky.
No, they didn’t outsmart Mercedes. It was pot luck that the VSC came out when it did and they capitalised on it. Nothing more. Even Seb said they were lucky with the timing of the SC.
Also congratulations to Seb for stealing Lewis's "worst haircut on the grid" crown :D
A deliberate choice for óne rider and not the other.
Preparing for logically possible eventualities.
Then committing Mercedes to óne.
That is called strategic thinking, that ís a strategy.
Last edited by Huertecilla; 25th March 2018 at 19:49.
“The more I practice, the luckier I get.” – Gary Player
I believe the point that BP was making is that Ferrari did a better job anticipating, and preparing for, any eventualities which may have arisen. That's my reading of it anyway.
Congratulations on your PFRL result by the way.
I was just about to congratulate you on your performance in the Fantasy Grand Prix league! I went big on Haas, and it was looking promising for a while.
Back to Melbourne, and while there may have been a great deal of luck involved, by getting Mercedes to pit Hamilton Ferrari had put Vettel into a position to capitalise on it.
I have to agree about the haircut though. What was he thinking?
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This.
Those halo's look rank.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
I hadn't even checked! 17th in the WORLD - got to be happy with that :D
Click on 'My Account', tick the box 'Receive Results Per E-mail' and have the good news delivered straight to your inbox.
You are, at the moment, the TZ-UK equivalent of Kevin Magnussen. You'll probably be interviewed by Eddie Jordan shortly.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
The stupid 3 engines per season rule robbed us the viewer of a great 5 lap battle at the end with Lewis backing off to save the engine for the long game. And it robbed him of the victory because if there weren't the engine limits he woudl have driven as fast as he could for as long as he could and have had a much bigger gap at the front. But as their software said they needed lets say an 8 second gap for a VSC they kept Lewis 8 seconds ahead once he had that gap to minimise engine wear etc. But actually he needed 10 seconds.
Final few races of the season qualy is going to be a farce with lots of engine penalties all over the grid.
You make it sound as if Ferrari knew that a VSC situation would arise, just after LH and KR had pitted thus ensuring their Vettel Strategy would work.
But then perhaps Ferrari supplied Haas with their wheel guns. Perhaps not, but it was a tat fortunate for Haas to suffer a double failure which could not be blamed on the engine supplier. .
However as LH "fanboy" I am just dispointed for him not to get one victory closer to MS record, but I still cannot see him not winning the WC based upon his performance this weekend. Unless of course the FIA and Liberty Media have other plans for him and Mercedes this year.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
F1 chairman, Chase Carey, looks like a music-hall villain.
So did I with my P3 team, paid off very well in quali (scored top points in our league) however the race wasn't quite so successful... Still, my P1 team is 2nd, so I can't grumble
Not the most exciting race, was it? Just about par for the course for Oz, though a more feisty season opener would have been welcome. Very little doubt about who was fastest on the day, maybe next time Lewis will push a little more at the start to gain a greater comfort zone in order to cover future eventualities. It's understandable that Merc boxed him straight after Kimi, the Fin was in 2nd place and not exactly dropping behind so it was only natural for Merc to respond as they did, Seb didn't appear to be pushing Kimi so the threat wasn't apparent. No-one could have predicted finger trouble at Haas, Ferrari were able to capatalise and they did. There's no doubt they were a touch lucky, though the open goal they scored through was widened by Bottas' failure to qualify at the front, something Bottas himself needs to take on the chin. I know we're only 1 race down of 21 however he really does need to make sure he's not the reason why Mercedes don't win the constructors championship.
Edit - Wolff is saying that it was a "software glitch/miscalculation" that cost them the win.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/h...-mercedes.html
Red Bull looked racey, faster than Ferrari IMO. Very much looking forward to seeing how the two teams fare from now on, all 4 drivers have something to race for so that will help keep things on the boil. Got to feel sorry for Haas, they tested, practiced and qualified well and then drop the ball big time come race day. Highly embarassing for the team and frustrating for both Grosjean and Magnussen, though it was a credit to the Frenchman to console his wheelman. They have genuine reasons to be cheerful, lets hope that they can put this behind them.
Didn't McLaren do well! Who knows what would have happened if both Haas didn't drop out however they were there when it mattered. Being honest I think that Vandoorne's final position is more representative of McLaren's pace relative to some other teams however if any team needed a pick-up it was them.
Renault finished up true to pace, probably the only team to do so in the top ten. Williams and Force India lived up to (low) expectations given their test sessions, both Sauber and Torro Rosso were nowhere. Sauber must have been hoping for a better start than this given that they've got up-to-date ponies behind them, and I don't think that TR has the driver talent to really push the team.
Last edited by CardShark; 25th March 2018 at 21:37.
Think I heard that there was a software glitch with the Mercedes computers regards virtual safety car strategies and this resulted in the Ferrari overtaking them. Plus Bottas was too far down the field to act as an effective wingman. I'm concerned about this 3 engine limit though. I can see that they are trying to make F1 parts / components as reliable as possible which is a good thing but its obviously having a negative effect on the sport when teams are not challenging for places because they're trying to eck out as many miles as possible from each engine etc. I missed the race but have read some reviews on it but can anyone tell me if overtaking opportunities have improved or are the cars still affected by air turbulence from the car in front so have to continually back off?
By the way I'd just like to mention because no doubt by the end of the next race I'll disappear of the bottom of the fantasy league page but I've all 3 teams in the top 10 and best is currently 3rd!!!!!!!
Anyone explain why Australia never had a proper circuit rather than a street one
Your name is on the "home" page of PFRL, check under PFRL Constructors World Championship
Very little on-track overtaking, mostly down to the nature of the circuit however there was also the feeling that teams were being tentative given the new regulations. Lewis was instructed to back off a little due to increased engine temperatures following Seb however there's nothing new there and the Brit still pushed on and off.
Quite.
It robs the racing fans of rácing by changing F1 in a season long endurance event.
That is rather a bigger thing than whether an individual driver wins a particular race or not.
There was a 3rd DRS zone at Albert Park for this race and it still didn’t improve overtaking opportunities, so no, overtaking hasn’t improved, at least at this circuit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bend_Motorsport_Park
The majority of F1 races these days are won on strategy (when there is a contest and not one driver pulling clear from the rest), tyre choice, the 'undercut' etc but today's events were too much. The FIA have to look at the rules that allow someone to effectively overtake under a safety car. Ferrari have done nothing wrong, they were lucky today and well done to them, but this cannot be allowed to happen in future. What a farce that you can come in for a pit stop, go down the pit lane at a max of 80kph,and still do a lap faster than the rest of the field.
A loophole which must be closed immediately.
I understand where you're coming from however if the constraints were looser then Seb would have been able to respond to Lewis - both would have been able to drive harder. Even if they were running to last year's regulations I don't think that would have seen anything different today.
Lewis knew he was faster, he quite ably demonstrated that. Did he play the long game? There would most certainly been an element of that, and why not? Alan Prost earned himself "The Professor" for his ability to know when there's value to be gained in pushing, he didn't do too badly. Not only that but he did it - dons rose tinted specs - in an era when you could supposedly push as hard as you could whenever you fancied.
Last edited by CardShark; 26th March 2018 at 00:00.
I suppose they need a little "bedding in" time to see how the cars act.Your name is on the "home" page of PFRL, check under PFRL Constructors World Championship
Very little on-track overtaking, mostly down to the nature of the circuit however there was also the feeling that teams were being tentative given the new regulations. Lewis was instructed to back off a little due to increased engine temperatures following Seb however there's nothing new there and the Brit still pushed on and off.
To be honest I was looking at the "CHARIOTS OF IRE" page and I saw one of my teams is 3rd and that the overall position is 49. I assumed that to be out of the total number of players worldwide after Lampoc said he is 17. I'd not even looked at the constructors world championship page. All still v confusing to me.
Not enough land
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Excellent lolNot enough land
Just a brief synopsis of today’s race in Aussie... complete shite, no overtaking, no drama, no entertainment, just boredom.
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Mercedes did the right thing to cover off the direct threat behind them. Vettel didn't appear to have the pace to threaten Hamilton. There's no way you can plan for every eventuality, such as a VSC happening at the perfect time to give the 3rd place runner the chance to take the lead. Ferrari just lucked into the win.
Where Mercedes messed up was to mistakenly think Hamilton still had enough time to get ahead of Vettel when he came in to pit during the VSC. They have form on this from Monaco 2015 so it's amazing that they made the same mistake again (but with roles reversed).
Last edited by watchcollector1; 26th March 2018 at 08:56.
Sadly that describes most of the races in Australia in recent years so I had low expectations and they were realised. Why on earth does the F1 season start and end at 2 of the most boring circuits on the calendar??
I have much higher hopes for China.
Fernando Alonso is a funny (hilarious) guy. Years of moaning about his GP2 engine - one winter later - now having a great time and berating his engineer for sounding so miserable!
Lewis gee'd up his team over the radio as well, it's great to hear some driver passion shine through
It may not have been the most thrilling of races however there were some chinks of light. Call it a show, call it a sport, whichever way you look at it to know that the drivers are there to (try to) win is pretty cool. The degree of competitiveness is off the scale and the rivalries intense, I'd put good money on events such as the post-quali drivers interview (Lewis vs Seb "wiping the smile from his face") being one of many flashpoints.
I've only just realised. I didn't miss the presence of the grid/podium girls at all. I'd completely forgotten about them. Sorry ladies :-(
Dull as anything and my expectations were fairly low. Shame about Haas in the race as it could have made it a little more interesting but other than that...
I'm guess thats what the computer glitch was, it said LH had a big enough gap to stay ahead if Vettel pitted under a VSC, he obviously had the pace to open the gap more but with the new
engine regs everyone is going to try and only do what they need to and no more, especially in the first half of the season.
Mountain Love, who is totally desinterested in any fom of motorsport; ´Is thát F1?? What utterly rediculous!! I hope MotoGP make a point by having twice as many now; it looks a lot more cheerful with umbrella girls!´
Mark Hughes' take on the weekend:
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/r...l&utm_content=
A question for those complaining about the power unit restrictions: what's your solution to cost control in order to keep the privately owned teams solvent? Don't forget, the FIA want to be seen to encourage use of non fossil fuels, and the current units can cover a Grand Prix distance on 105 litres of fuel, whereas a conventional N/A engine was using 150 litres, so there's no option to return to just using internal combustion engines.
And there's already a race series for electric cars.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
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