F1 formula one chat/stuff

[simonbuk]

Why has Alonso stayed so long ? I know he's in a contract but there's always a way out. Bit like Villnerve (sp?!) when he stayed at BAR all those years for nothing, end of his F1 career, such a waste.

[Rusty Wishbone]

McLaren surely don't need Alonso now. They have bigger things to worry about. But Williams need Stroll for the mountain of cash he delivers every time he turns up at the factory. Surely Williams would be better kicking out slowcoach Massa and installing Alonso for the rest of the season.

[clemo]

Massa is not slow Stroll is .

[rip]

Teams usually don't like 2 rookies because experienced drivers are usually more consistent. Massa's 6th was as good as could be expected considering the cars in front of him.
He is also supposed to be good at feeding back handling information to the team, which is a very useful characteristic.

[Saltire]

And for all practical purposes, Williams can't have two rookies, because (AIUI) the Martini contract requires them to have at least one driver over the age of 25.

Interesting times for Alonso.

- Will Massa stay beyond the end of the season, or will he re-retire?
- If it's true that Bottas is only on a one year contract, will there be a spare seat at Mercedes?
- And would Toto Wolff dare, given the friction between Hamilton and Alonso in their McLaren days?
- And finally, does Toto still have his shareholding in Williams?

[Rob P]

Didn't Alonso go to McLaren because he wanted to be with a team which was a manufacturer with their own engine, that surely rules out any move to Williams.
I'd like to think he had the guts to ride out the current storm, Honda will get there in the end they just need to be realistic and bring in some expertise to help them along the way

[Rusty Wishbone]

And finally, does Toto still have his shareholding in Williams?[/list]

I'm sure that I read somewhere that Toto sold his shareholding in Williams.

[rip]

Didn't Alonso go to McLaren because he wanted to be with a team which was a manufacturer with their own engine, that surely rules out any move to Williams.

That sounds familiar & I am sure Ron Dennis won his signature on the strength that 'Honda will get there'.
It is unusual for a customer to out-perform a factory team although Red Bull managed it using a Renault engine.

[Rob P]

Didn't Alonso go to McLaren because he wanted to be with a team which was a manufacturer with their own engine, that surely rules out any move to Williams.

That sounds familiar & I am sure Ron Dennis won his signature on the strength that 'Honda will get there'.
It is unusual for a customer to out-perform a factory team although Red Bull managed it using a Renault engine.

Think that is the Adrian Newey effect, designer of some really excellent machinery

[lotusflasherman]

Lot of F1 journalists reporting on Alonso in practice for Indy 500, which he's only doing because the McLaren Honda is so useless (again) this year.

I see he was 4th fastest yesterday, on 'Fast Friday', so called because they are allowed to run extra boost (our Everest Chip Day? ). He did 38.822 so 231.827 mph average and only 0.3 seconds behind was Graham Rahal, son of winner Bobby Rahal, but that only got him 22nd place, even though his was 230.007 mph average.

I've been reading"Inspired to Design", the autobiography of Nigel Bennett - recommend it to anybody interested in Lotus. He was Team Lotus Race Engineer for Ronnie Petersen in the 79 period before moving on to design for Ensign, Lola and Penske and his designs for Penske dominated Indycar racing in the late '90's. Nigel's descriptions of what's happening at 230 mph in a car at Indy leads me to conclude it must 'take a lot of balls' to get round at that speed...

but ahead of Graham Rahal with an average speed of 230.103mph was Pippa Mann. Anybody heard of her ???

My local paper featured her as a 'local interest' item last month ....www.eadt.co.uk/sport/suffolk-raised-pippa-mann-confirmed-for-sixth-indy-500-1-4964656, otherwise I'm sure I wouldn't have either ...

[Rambo]

Last post May 2017 !!

Has anyone else noticed how boring F1 has become the last few years ? Or is it that it's mainly on pay to watch TV these days Personally, I find the 2 wheel version more exciting to watch

Anyway, let's hope there is a bit more action in 2020

[rip]

Has anyone else noticed how boring F1 has become the last few years ? Or is it that it's mainly on pay to watch TV these days Personally, I find the 2 wheel version more exciting to watch

Anyway, let's hope there is a bit more action in 2020

Possibly because we only get to see the best bits from years gone past, which colours our view?
I was enjoying a week in Tunisia while the Abu Dhabi GP was on. Even though the commentary was in German, the coverage was still awful. Leclerc passing Verstappen on lap 1 was missed completely (they didn't even show a replay a couple of laps later) & ad breaks were huge..so many that I counted them..20 in 1 break alone.
I had recorded it on Sky & watched the whole thing back. Leclerc passing Verstappen was seen live.
I also found C4/C5? commentary awful. In a Malaysian GP (so going back a while), there were 2 DRS straights one after the other. A potential passing chance was not taken on the first straight & Coulthard commented that 'he was unable to make the pass'. My reaction was 'of course not, because DRS would have worked the other way around immediately afterwards. This left me a bit frustrated with the commentary & therefore the coverage.
When I watched this back on a recording from Sky, Brundle's comments were 'he won't overtake on this straight because he will have DRS against him immediately afterwards'.

Don't expect many changes in 2020. By the time things had been decided it was too late to implement them. 2021 may see some differences though.

[clemo]

Here we go then , 2021 season underway , 23 races . limited Friday practice , seats swapped , engine tokens spent , downforce removed ..... all the talking over .

Max and Sergio , Lando and Daniel are the ones i am backing . Red bull aero rake is the car that looks best on set up. I also love the Perez story .

Would love to be a fan of Aston Martin but can't stand the arrogance of the 2x Stroll's . I hope Perez shows them up . However i want ( Multi 21) Seb to show Lance some manners and whip his arse. I'm not a Seb fan but even Ferrari stooped to a new low by pressing the Seb slow button.

My villain team is Aston Martin and Hass . Not that hass has really done anything wrong , But Mazzipan has already shown his hand as to what kind of person he is . Money talks , his father is about to by Hass so his lack of judgement and posting him ruffing up a woman in the back of a taxi will be forgotten . Not to mention he has not actually won any titles on the way or come close. Even Lance has..... On the other side of the Garage i am actually routing for Mick. I hope he doesn't become a cheat like his old man , but at present he has proven himself in the spotlight and done good. So for that i respect him.

Alonso the team wrecker is back , so what . This guy is so damaging , Honda Engines , Crashgate , Mclaren ferrari blueprint scandal ... he's there. I am only here to win races? . Well done for your free practice 14th yesterday. Alpine looks average at best. What happened to Daniels podium finishing car of last year? I bet he is glad he jumped to McLaren.

Mr Saturday George , Most of us Brits have a soft spot for him to do well. I do . Williams seems to have moved up from the back of the grid .Is that because of development or Hass have just gone back a step or given up already on the 2021 car and are in full development of the 2022 new regs car.

Bottas needs to prove himself and finish 1st or second , Gasley needs to re position himself as a worthy prospect to another team for next year , Carlos needs to establish himself as an equal not a number 2 , Red bull need to some how convince Honda to stay on board , become semi works mugen / partner . This is their last full works shot at it . Unless they buy the Engine department factory . And then .... what a story . A fizzy drinks firm becomes a world championship F1 contending threat to full blown car manufacturers ... let that sink in for a moment ....

No matter who you are backing - Driver or team , hero or villain we are in for a stunning year of motorsport and i wish you the best of luck.

Enjoy the early mornings , late nights or wasted sunny weekends. I will be watching with you .

[TorqueHorse]

[Saltire]

too. Big Russell fan, as much for the way he’s conducted himself as for the way he’s driven (which is outstanding considering the lamentable state of the Williams chassis).

It will also be fascinating to see how Sir Lewis’ season develops. Not clear to me whether he has any real interest in keeping up with Verstappen, or whether he’s got the sulks over only getting a one year contract and/or is now more interested in other worthy causes. The next 23 race weekends will tell.

[TorqueHorse]

Alright, since it is the last year F1 is coming to Austin for sure, I decided it was worth it to grab a ticket. If today's Quali is any indication, it looks like this season will be exciting enough that the outcome might not be a forgone conclusion by the time they get over here. Having to bail on going to LOG 40 though, as a result, but having this right at my doorstep seemed worth it. Can't wait for tomorrow!

[Rambo]

It might become exciting if they remove the "no overtaking Hamilton rule"

Last year I watched the majority of the races and it was quite tedious and predictable. I guess it was as much to do with the superiority of the Mercedes car as much as anything. I am a big fan of real, live motorsport but it's fairly boring watching cars go round and round at 200 mph with not much other action on track

If F1 introduced random rain showers at some point during the race it would be so much more interesting

Let's hope for better things this year. I look forward to seeing Norris and Russell move up the pack

[Rambo]

Well, that was a good start to the season. Very exciting to the last corner

[Saltire]

- although a bit of a shame that the stewards/rules got in the way again!

[HJ2]

Go Max!