2018 Formula 1 Season Thread

[Apple fanboy]

As the talk has drifted to next year and beyond, I thought it was high time we started a new thread.

Really hoping Ferrari don't go into meltdown half way through the season and Alonso finally gets to taste some champagne again!

How many sleeps until Australia?

 

[zagato27]

I'm almost wishing Ferrari pulls the plug. That would really shake things up. Be kind of like Le Mans with only Toyota in LMP1. Mercedes would just run away instead of teasing the next best team with a view of it's rear end. F1 would have to change. I don't want it to be NASCAR with all the cars looking the same and with pretty much the same engine. I want more innovation. I'd like enclosed cockpits and cars that are sleek. Bring innovation like the Brabham BT46(sucker car) and the Lotus 78. Maybe they should have a system like horse racing where the winner of the previous race is required to carry more weight or less wing. I'd like to see more emphasis on the driver. I want this car. At least I'd have something sweet to look at.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I'd love the rules to be no rules!
V12's, turbos, 6 wheels, skirts, diffusers, refuelling.
The choice is yours.

Would make for exciting racing.

 

[pachyderm]

I'd love the rules to be no rules!
V12's, turbos, 6 wheels, skirts, diffusers, refuelling.
The choice is yours.

Would make for exciting racing.

he he he it would too.

 

[Apple fanboy]

he he he it would too.

As long as one team/driver doesn't dominate we would all be happy!

The main thing they could/should do to improve the racing is to get some of the tracks improved. We all know which races will be dull before they happen.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Looks like Kubica might miss out to Russian Sergey Sirotkin at Williams. I'm sure the £15 million sponsorship helped make their mind up.

Does that mean if I win the lottery I can get a drive?

 

[CWallace]

Looks like Kubica might miss out to Russian Sergey Sirotkin at Williams. I'm sure the £15 million sponsorship helped make their mind up.

Yeah, that will certainly come in handy in taking the fight to Force India and keeping ahead of Renault and McLaren.

 

[pachyderm]

Confirmed 2018 launch dates:
Williams - February 15
Sauber - February 20
Renault - February 20
Mercedes - February 22
Ferrari - February 22
McLaren - February 23
Toro Rosso - February 26



* = Ones I'm most interested in...
[doublepost=1517661753][/doublepost]

I want this car. At least I'd have something sweet to look at.

ya know, that really is a pretty cool looking machine.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Confirmed 2018 launch dates:
Williams - February 15
Sauber - February 20
Renault - February 20
Mercedes - February 22
Ferrari - February 22
McLaren - February 23
Toro Rosso - February 26



* = Ones I'm most interested in...
[doublepost=1517661753][/doublepost]

ya know, that really is a pretty cool looking machine.

Funny I was going to post about that earlier. Just hope McLaren have a good package, Ferrari give Vettel a dog and Mercedes have to run their engines above 75%!

As for changing times to 10 past the hour to increase audiences, how does that help?

Never mind the grid girls debate!

 

[AustinIllini]

Funny I was going to post about that earlier. Just hope McLaren have a good package, Ferrari give Vettel a dog and Mercedes have to run their engines above 75%!

As for changing times to 10 past the hour to increase audiences, how does that help?

Never mind the grid girls debate!

McLaren might actually finish 5th in the constructors this year. Whole team is a dud.

I thought I read somewhere that ESPN is using the Sky Sports F1 feed this year.

 

[CWallace]

I thought I read somewhere that ESPN is using the Sky Sports F1 feed this year.

Correct. We will also get FP1 and FP3 for each race, not just selected races as it was with NBCSN.

 

[pachyderm]

McLaren might actually finish 5th in the constructors this year. Whole team is a dud.

I thought I read somewhere that ESPN is using the Sky Sports F1 feed this year.

where did they end up last season?

and we never see the grid girls anyway.

 

[CWallace]

where did the end up last season?

McLaren-Honda finished 9th in the WCC for 2017, 17 points behind Haas and 25 points ahead of Sauber.

 

[zagato27]

FYI, if you are an Amazon Prime member they have a series "Gran Prix Driver". Season 1 (4 episodes) follows Mclaren's 2017 season. Pretty interesting, worth the watch.

 

[Apple fanboy]

FYI, if you are an Amazon Prime member they have a series "Gran Prix Driver". Season 1 (4 episodes) follows Mclaren's 2017 season. Pretty interesting, worth the watch.

I'm sure 2018 will be a better year for them!
Not a prime member, but I'd imagine there were lots of expletives from Alonso!

 

[pachyderm]

repost for me i know....

i'm getting antsy...

is the image showing up?

 

[lalaland92]

I think the FIA made the good choice with the Halo. Windscreen looks way better than the Halo in therm of aesthetic but less secure.

 

[BenTrovato]

February 22nd. The big boys reveal their cars! Then 4 days later we’ll see how bad (or good) McLaren and Toro Rosso will be this year.

Wouldn’t surprise me to see McLaren finish 4th and Toro finish last.

 

[Apple fanboy]

February 22nd. The big boys reveal their cars! Then 4 days later we’ll see how bad (or good) McLaren and Toro Rosso will be this year.

Wouldn’t surprise me to see McLaren finish 4th and Toro finish last.

Just for fun imagine Toro Rosso started with the best engine. Not going to happen of course, but it would have a certain irony!
Imagine Alonso's comments if he gets left for dead on the straight by one of them!

 

[zagato27]

I'm sure 2018 will be a better year for them!
Not a prime member, but I'd imagine there were lots of expletives from Alonso!

As a matter of fact, there were a couple that were bleeped out. McLaren's season started out on the rocks, with troubles getting the car ready and THEN there was that Honda engine. They knew they were really in trouble at their first test. Heck, they knew when they were finally able to install the engine (Honda it seems didn't have the correct mounting points) and then it wouldn't fire up using the electrics...they had to manually wind it up. Downhill from there. Boy, I'm hoping that their Renault engine works.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The World Endurance Championship race in Japan has been moved so Alonso can race. That's some pretty good pulling power!

I'm sure it helped that his team (Toyota), own the track!

Well I'm sure he'll enjoy some champagne!
But you know what they say about burning the candle both ends! Hope he hasn't taken on too much.

 

[lalaland92]

Superb video. Valsecchi got a lot out of Hamilton here. People that think driving at that level is just a matter of having a good car should be feeling the burn by now.

[doublepost=1518475963][/doublepost]

February 22nd. The big boys reveal their cars! Then 4 days later we’ll see how bad (or good) McLaren and Toro Rosso will be this year.

Wouldn’t surprise me to see McLaren finish 4th and Toro finish last.

And Haas will show his car during the Barcelona test as usual (?)

 

[0388631]

I think the FIA made the good choice with the Halo. Windscreen looks way better than the Halo in therm of aesthetic but less secure.

They had to have a balance between aesthetics, safety and not increasing drag and then having to reduce it elsewhere. It's not a pretty site, but I suspect it'll be fine tuned next season and so forth. There's been a lot of advancements in safety tech since Senna's death, but there's been a few big spurts of advancement in just the last decade.

 

[Apple fanboy]

So it begins!

Team Hass are the first to unveil their 2018 car.

 

[pachyderm]

View attachment 751268 So it begins!

View attachment 751270

Team Hass are the first to unveil their 2018 car.

not too bad.

they snuck in their launch!