Genie Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 1 minute ago, AVFCDAN said: Sooner or later they will though, even if its not this season. Without the Ferrari mistakes and Hamilton having one of his best seasons it would have been a lot closer. Imagine if Bottas was the lead driver for Merc last year and Hamilton was in the Ferrari. If I'm honest I don't actually know what the rule changes are next year, hopefully that resets a few things. There was a major rule change a couple of years ago but it didn't upset the dominance by Mercedes. The bits and bobs I have seen of F1 last couple of years has shown a lot of Mercedes turning the wick down on their engines as they were dominating the races. I think they've had pace to spare consistently. I expect they'll at least match the gains made by other teams for more of the same this year. Can't really argue that Hamilton is potentially the fastest driver of all time. I wonder is Bernie was still calling the shots he'd force through the Hamilton switch to Ferrari to stop people leaving the sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 11, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 11, 2020 5 minutes ago, Genie said: There was a major rule change a couple of years ago but it didn't upset the dominance by Mercedes. While rule changes in the past have tended to benefit the better-funded teams, the shake-up does at least offer the opportunity for someone to steal a march and for things to shake up a little bit. I think the odds are nothing significant will change, but it might shake up certain parts of the grid. With the top 3 looking closer this year than in many years, it might be the perfect time to throw a few variables into the equation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 11, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 11, 2020 And we'll have a new works team next season too. Aston Martin intends to become ‘one of the top F1 teams’ following Racing Point takeover Quote Aston Martin intends to become ‘one of the top F1 teams’ following Racing Point takeover Racing Point CEO and team principal Otmar Szafnauer said Aston Martin’s plan to take over the team next year has provided “a real injection of energy” for the team’s staff. The future of the team looked uncertain a year and a half ago when it had to be rescued from administration. But following a takeover led by billionaire Lawrence Stroll, who also bought into Aston Martin last month, the team will become the luxury road car manufacturer’s works F1 operation next year. “It’s significant news for Aston Martin and for Formula 1 itself,” said Szafnauer. “As one of the most iconic sports car brands in the world, Aston Martin needed a presence on the F1 grid and this solution delivers a fully-fledged works Aston Martin F1 Team from 2021 onwards. “It’s news that will excite fans around the world and will shine a spotlight on a brand that is widely regarded as Britain’s finest luxury sports car manufacturer.” Szafnauer said Aston Martin’s road cars will benefit from Formula 1 technology. “Creating a works F1 team achieves a number of objectives for Aston Martin,” he said. “It delivers a high-profile marketing platform for the road car division, which will enhance commercial appeal in all areas of the business. “There is also the obvious technical collaboration between the F1 programme and the road cars, with F1 technology filtering through to the products Aston Martin launches in the years ahead. This is particularly relevant to the mid-engine philosophy that is just around the corner. The competitive environment of racing is a rich avenue for innovation and the opportunity for technology cross-over is incredibly exciting.” More in link ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 22 minutes ago, BOF said: And we'll have a new works team next season too. Aston Martin intends to become ‘one of the top F1 teams’ following Racing Point takeover I know they have a rich owner but its concerning just how much money the road car business is losing. I have a feeling this will not be long term foray into the sport for the Aston Martin name. I hope they do make a good fist of it and become a contender at the front of the grid. The problem is like Villa intending to compete with Liverpool and the Manchester clubs to be one of the top football teams. Its very, very difficult (even with deep pockets). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 11, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 11, 2020 11 minutes ago, Genie said: I know they have a rich owner but its concerning just how much money the road car business is losing. I have a feeling this will not be long term foray into the sport for the Aston Martin name. I hope they do make a good fist of it and become a contender at the front of the grid. The problem is like Villa intending to compete with Liverpool and the Manchester clubs to be one of the top football teams. Its very, very difficult (even with deep pockets). True but at least in F1 if you've got the money, you're allowed to spend just as much as the top teams can. **** FFP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 12 minutes ago, BOF said: True but at least in F1 if you've got the money, you're allowed to spend just as much as the top teams can. **** FFP If Aston Martin F1 wanted to go toe-to-toe with Mercedes F1 they'd need more people than they have working on their road cars! I'm pretty Merc have over 1000 people just at the engine factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 11, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 11, 2020 1 minute ago, Genie said: If Aston Martin F1 wanted to go toe-to-toe with Mercedes F1 they'd need more people than they have working on their road cars! I'm pretty Merc have over 1000 people just at the engine factory. Very true, but it doesn't change the point that they could if they wanted to. The avenue is at least open to them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 The China GP has been postponed due to the Corona outbreak 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 12, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 12, 2020 How the Chinese GP’s fate became inevitable Quote The decision to postpone Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix became inevitable as the novel coronavirus situation in China escalated. Efforts will be made to reschedule the race, as losing it would represent a major blow to F1, its competing manufacturers and various partners, given the importance of the market. It creates a big hole in calendar, too, with a four-week gap between races in Vietnam and the Netherlands – but this is a small price to pay in relation to the wider situation. Some may feel the issue has been overblown but the response to the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 45,000 and killed more than 1100, has been entirely appropriate. A body like the World Health Organisation does not declare international emergencies for fun, and government-level advice not to travel to a country is not issued lightly. Bulletins like the UK foreign office urging against non-essential travel already presented an obvious logistical hurdle, while initial freights that were supposed to be sent to China for the grand prix were delayed. However, the issue goes well beyond F1 simply being unable to access the country easily. More in link above ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 12, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 12, 2020 So Renault's "season opener" had no car, and only some rendered teasers of it. Pathetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 13, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 13, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welnik Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 I wonder if Lewis would be allowed to win this year to equal the record, and then next year to eclipse the Great Schumacher? Something tells me that the powers that be (ferrari) won't allow this to happen. Unless of course he signs for them. I'd have to stop being a fan of him because I can't stand the red knobs and all the shit that goes with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 19 hours ago, BOF said: Not the first time McLaren have gone for a completely new design rather than evolve last year's relatively successful car which has bitten them a few times in the past Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 14, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 14, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 14, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 14, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCDAN Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Looks like Mercedes have implemented some sort of steering wheel aid to move the tyre position inwards on the straights before returning to normal for the corners. If this is allowed (early signs seem to suggest the regulators are already aware of it) it could be an even bigger advantage for Mercedes. Bad news for neutrals or anyone who isn't a Merc fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 20, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2020 Yeah I've been reading this one with interest Seemingly the steering wheel can be moved forwards and backwards, towards and away from the driver, and the toe angle of the front wheels changes in-line with this movement. So cornering behaviour and tyre temperature regulation can be managed on that axis. Very cool if it's legal, which as you say it appears to be for now. Important to point out though that testing does not have the same regulation restrictions as a race weekend, so the legality won't be properly tested until Australia. But all noises from Merc and the FIA so far suggest that they're aware of the idea and happy with it for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villakram Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Crash testing might well kill that as enabling moving parts is more likely to cause issues in an accident, or that if it moves, the movement can be aided. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 20, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2020 I'm hugely encouraged by Williams in the first 2 days of testing. They had their first little moral victory at the very start by making sure they were the first team to start testing, after the horrors of last season. That means very little in the grand scheme of things of course. But since that, Russell has been competitive. He has not been cut adrift and he has covered the 3rd most amount of distance of any one driver in those 2 tests (Perez, Hamilton). He finished 9th out of 15 yesterday, 1.192s off Hamilton's 1.16.976, and today he was 7th out of 13 at 1.29s off Raikkonen's 1.17.091. As a team they're 9th in distance (Renault) but their times and their reliability has me hoping they will at least be up at the back of the pack rather than pootling along at the back staying out of everyone's way. Early days of course, but the signs are there. Renault also look to be improved, which Danny Ricc also seems to think. He reckons there might even be a Shoey in there somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 20, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted February 20, 2020 9 minutes ago, villakram said: Crash testing might well kill that as enabling moving parts is more likely to cause issues in an accident, or that if it moves, the movement can be aided. I can't imagine a team as German thorough and professional as Mercedes would have over-looked something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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