We seem to be a little slow starting this years thread, but having just read something I guess I’ll get it started.
It seems both Red Bull and Ferrari have secured their young guns for the foreseeable future. Max has signed with Red Bull until the end of 2023 and Charles has signed with Ferrari until the end of 2024.
A five year deal is one hell of a commitment.
And looking down towards the other end of the grid Robert Kubica has signed up as the Alfa Romeo reserve driver. Oh, by the way he's bringing a Polish petrol company along with him. I hope they don't mind.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/50965260
Perhaps with Hamilton approaching the end of his contract they were concerned about a potentially vacant Mercedes seat.Originally Posted by jaytip
The only real F1 news so far is that Williams sponsors are all pulling the plug, I don’t know how much Latifi brings but it is looking grim.
Claire Williams needs to go, they need to get a credible manager in very quickly.
After 30+ years I largely disengaged from F1 in 2018. For the last two years I've recorded a few races because they are good circuits / often interesting races: Monaco, Spa & Monza. In the main I have found myself fast forwarding through the recordings.
I know the cars are amazing, I know the drivers are incredibly busy in the cockpits, but I can't see any of that. I need to see cars moving about, races changing because the cars are stretched to breaking point and most of all, close following through bends leading to overtaking. I don't need to see telly programs with more analysis than chat, graphics with the drivers folding their arms turning to camera or track side digital signage saying "It's hammertime" which is all just flim-flam.
So what you may say, but I buy watches & drink beer so I'm right there in their target demographic I'd have thought. F1 is in danger of becoming the Emperor's new clothes, we're told it is the pinnacle of motorsport but is it, really?
I switched to watching Rally Cross. Much better racing I feel
I thought last season was one of the best for some years, can’t wait for the 2020 season to kick off now!
Without putting too fine a point on it - part of the problem is the average age of F1 viewers keeps going up - it is currently 58 I believe.
So it is already seen as an old man's sport and coupled with niche expensive subscriptions to access it - it is hard to see how you can arrest the decline as its core audience dies off.
Maybe if Amazon Prime had rights, we would see more interest of people not looking forward to retirement.
It's 40 not 58.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2...-are-under-25/
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
I'm looking forward to seeing who will be top Canadian this year. Will it be the one with a rather disappointing record in lower classes who is only in Formula 1 because his dad is incredibly rich and is throwing money around the paddock or will it be the other one? My money is on the latter!
Looking forward going to the inaugural Vietnam GP in Hanoi.
The Chinese GP has been postponed then due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Testing, testing...
The first of two pre-season tests is under way, and as I type we're into Day 2, almost half way through the morning session, and so far we haven't seen a red flag!
For anybody unfamiliar with pre-season tests, there are few marshalls around the track, and if any driver plants their shiny (or matt, in many cases) new car into a gravel trap, or it breaks down out on, or alongside the circuit, rescue crews are despatched, and all on-track running is suspended by means of red flags being shown. Despite a couple of spins yesterday, all cars were able to continue, and there was uninterrupted running.
A welcome change this year is the banning of "vanity screens" to block the view of TV and press cameras while the cars are in their pit garages, so it's harder for teams to hide their updates for this season.
Although updates are few and far between, as the rules are largely unchanged, so it's evolution rather than revolution. Ted Kravitz gave an interesting insight into what is probably the most radical change on any of the cars, Mercedes' revised rear suspension layout, which changes the location points of the rear wishbones, and along with a deflector on the upper surface of the rear floor ahead of the inside of the rear tyre is believed to help to increase rear downforce by "sealing" the gap between the tyre and the edge of the floor.
Other gossip revolves around what is being described as the "Pink Mercedes", or Racing Point, which bears an uncanny resemblance to last year's Mercedes in the bodywork, suspension and overall aero departments. Senior team spokespeople deflect awkward questions by making the point that "we're hardly going to copy last year's slowest car, are we?" Much is being made about Racing Point becoming a Mercedes "B Team", and referring to Ferrari's links with Haas, Red Bull and newly re-named Alpha Tauri, etc.
Yesterday's times were fairly close, with Mercedes leading the way, but test times are largely meaningless, as nobody outside of the teams knows whether they are doing race simulations, qualifying sims, aero runs, tyre wear checks, fuel loads, whether any ballast has been added, or whether they're actually bothered about showing their hand ahead of Melbourne.
Anything else? Not much, Sky have become fascinated by the fact that the Mercedes steering wheel appears to move laterally, and back and forth, leading to speculation about whether it has some effect on front suspension geometry. And Alpha Tauri have the best livery this year.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
For those who haven't had chance to compare this year's paintwork yourselves, you can get a glimpse and a chance to decide here.
Interesting GIF showing Mercedes' ability to change front geometry from steering wheel.
http://twitter.com/i/status/1230437658385620992
Last edited by Chris_in_the_UK; 20th February 2020 at 12:18.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
The Mercedes steering wheel suspension adjustment system has become 2020's double diffuser/F-duct talking point.
Without live tv coverage of testing, with onboard shots, this may not have been noticed until Melbourne, and every other team is currently poring over the tv replays and wondering how long it will take to develop their own version.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Mercedes confident 'dual-axis steering' system for 2020 within F1 rules
...Technical director James Allison said it "introduces an extra dimension for steering which we hope will be useful".
He said governing body the FIA was aware of it. "The rules are clear about what's permitted on steering systems. We're pretty confident that it matches those requirements," he said.
He declined to elaborate further on the purposes of the system...
Had much discussion about this over lunch - we think it looks legit. I can't see why it would banned. As mentioned above, I reckon another situation where everyone copies and then it's banned. The impact on tyre temperature and wear will be interesting to watch, as well as actual performance gains.
If it’s just changing the toe in/out, then arguably that the steering geometry rather than suspension
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Under curtain circumstances a change in toe could push the camber over the maximum allowed
I would hope Mercedes have engineered this not to happen?.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
1m15.732s The Merc is flying
For anyone interested in the new Mercedes steering DAS:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...taFZPCKC4.html
DAS banned for 2021 apparently
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Jup, but the headache (and cost) for this season will not go away. The race to catch up seems very much on given the performance of Mercedes so far!
Racing Point were referred to as "Tracing Point" on Sky, in a discussion about the undeniable similarity of this year's RP and last year's Mercedes...
Not much happening this afternoon, most drivers doing race simulations. Bottas put in a quick sponsor-pleasing lap this morning, we've had engine failures for Ferrari and Williams, and a tyre failure for Kevin Magnussen which almost pitched him into a wall.
Reliability has been a feature of this week's Test, with some serious mileages being racked up. Mercedes and Racing Point can be satisfied with their performance this week, Ferrari are a bit downbeat, and the Renault garage appears to be populated by men with furrowed brows and gloomy expressions.
The second, and final pre-season Test is next week.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
This is in the 2021 Tech Regs published in October last year:
10.5.2 The re-alignment of the steered wheels, as defined by the position of the inboard attachment of the relevant suspensions members that remain a fixed distance from each other, must be uniquely defined by a monotonic function of the rotational position of a single steering wheel.
My thanks to planetf1 for the reference...link.
Much as expected, at least it looks as if it will be legal for this season though.
Edit: Apparently Ferrari are now seeking clarification from the FIA re the legality of the Mercedes DAS system.
What a surprise!
Last edited by JeremyO; 21st February 2020 at 17:15.
motorsport.com
Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Mattia Binotto says that the Maranello outfit will ask the FIA for clarification on the legality of the Mercedes DAS system, but it won't challenge the governing body's decision.
Mercedes has already made it clear that it checked the legality of DAS with the FIA before proceeding with it.
Binotto also admitted that Ferrari has not yet fully understood what the potential advantages of the innovation are, and suggested that his team would not be able to replicate its own version until the middle of the season.
"I've seen that there is a lot of discussion about it," said Binotto. "Personally myself, I didn't really look in detail, what it's about, but I think we trust fully the FIA.
"I'm pretty sure that they have already done the right decision, or they will do it. But I completely trust on what FIA will judge."
He added: "Are we discussing with the FIA? Not yet. We will do for clarification, important for us to understand, but as I said, we will not challenge the FIA on their decision, because we trust them fully on what will be or has been the decision on that."...
Let's see how long that lasts...
Not been banned for next year per say - the wording to exclude it from 2021 has been in the proposed regs for some months.
To date there is nothing to say that the left and right hand steering arms must move with a fixed separation.
If it is inbound of the steering arm inner ball joint then its not suspension so fair game.
The parasitic power loss to a 30" (minutes of angle) toe in F1 in several kW so worth a few hundreths on a long straight.
It could also be used to either go paralel on the straits to reduce front tyre temps, or increase toe out to drive heat into them.
Obviously these are my thoughts and not those of my employer...
Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
I think the biggest benefit of DAS is reduction in tyre wear being able to effectively reset toe to zero reduces scrub in straight line....
Mercedes have apparently discussed the system with FIA throughout development and as it driver activated / controlled its within regs ..coolio...
Will be interesting to see what other teams do as clearly not something they can throw together in a weekend or month or err months...
Given that Mercedes had the sense to discuss DAS with the FIA before putting it on the car and getting their approval, I personally I hope that it isn’t banned, simply because I can see this having applications on high performance road cars outside F1.
We have the ability to adjust the Toe, Camber and suspension already so why not make it dynamic.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
The amendment within the technical regulations for 2021 has been, as you say, there for a few months however it appears to have been placed there to close the loophole that Mercedes have exploited.
The story goes that Mercedes approached the FIA about their innovation many months back asking for clarification ref its legality. The FIA realised that there's nothing within the regulations at the time to prevent such a device so they gave Mercedes the green light, they then amended the regulations for next year to close the loophole. One has to wonder though if the other teams picked up on this amendment - could it have been considered a clue that one of their rivals had given reason for such a change?
Hats off to the Silver Arrows. They've thought outside the box and have potentially changed the game for this season. They've been reasonably dominant in testing and have a system in place that, it has been quoted, will take 6 months for any other team to replicate. That being the case then you have to wonder if anyone will actually copy it given that it's banned after this season and it will absorb resources that would have otherwise been put to use developing and improving other areas of the package. It's early doors of course, next week will have each team closing in on the optimal spec and set-up for Melbourne, and we all know that a season isn't won in a single race. I'm not going to bet against Mercedes winning both championships again though, not based on what we've seen so far.
Last edited by CardShark; 22nd February 2020 at 17:10.
Surprised this hasn't been discussed: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51681804
So what do we all think? I'm my view pretty much everything that's wrong with the sport, we all knew Ferrari were at it and this confirms it, but conveniently brushed under the carpet by the FIA. Certainly leaves a sour taste as we gear up for the start of the new season.
It's pretty obvious that our opinion matters little to the FIA. After all, big money is concerned. Now, if Mercedes and Red Bull throw their toys out of the pram...
The purpose of Formula 1 teams is to find loopholes in the regulations, and exploit them. If you examined every team and car forensically, you could find something wrong. Not only does Formula 1 employ the finest engineering brains on the planet, it employs some of the finest legal brains too.It's pretty obvious that our opinion matters little to the FIA. After all, big money is concerned. Now, if Mercedes and Red Bull throw their toys out of the pram...
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Red Bull's MV did it last year. He received a lot of flack calling Ferrari cheaters. It looks as if he was right.It's pretty obvious that our opinion matters little to the FIA. After all, big money is concerned. Now, if Mercedes and Red Bull throw their toys out of the pram...
On the matter of Mercedes' DAS system: LH always complained about excessive tyre wear on last year's Mercedes. Perhaps this helps to 'save' the tyres, making it possible to do longer stints on a full set.
M
Outrageous, if it had been any other team I believe they would have been sanctioned at the time and we would all know the nature of the transgression.
Because it is Ferrari it is swept under the carpet. I had hoped that the bias towards Ferrari would end when Bernie left the sport but apparently not.
I think I read somewhere that Ferrari will continue to retain their existing veto together with the increased funding they already enjoy going forward. Can anyone enlighten me here?
New Drive to Survive is out on Netflix:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEY3Q43aE_c
it begs the question whether LeClerc’s wins will stand? Hopefully not and other drivers will get the credit.
So Belgium GP goes to LH
Italian GP to VB
Singapore to MV
It would be shocking if LH failed to beat MS GP wins record because of more Ferrari cheating.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Cheating is pushing the rules beyond breaking point. There is no evidence Ferrari did this. But it gave MV a good reason to whine.
Likewise, the adaptive steering will be forbidden next year because they closed a loophole. In the meantime chances are Mercedes might have an advantage.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
The DAS system looks to be legit (FIA approval) If so, kudos to Mercedes for inventing it and it should be rewarded: victories.
About Ferrari's gizmo: had their system be approved by FIA, no doubt they would have been on the top of their lungs telling the whole world that their system was legal and that all they did was inside the rules. They would have told everybody that they were not to blame and that MV should have kept his mouth shut with a 'I told you'. No, Ferrari and FIA came to a private settlement, without telling the nature or content of that settlement.
Indeed. My view is that the video extract gave the game up for Mercedes and everyone knows what their innovation is, whereas that is not the case for Ferrari. So no need to play for the fans or the media, FIA amends the regulations without spieling the beans for Ferrari, because something that comes with it still gives them an advantage and remains OK for next season.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I just watched the first three episodes of Drive to survive, so much more interesting than the Sky output
Australia, will they or won't they?
In country:
And the angles they film from seem to make the cars look so much faster.
It looks great as a driver’s circuit, but I’m not convinced it will be a good racing circuit.
^^??^^ Explain?
Too many bends and not enough straights for overtaking?
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