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2018 Formula 1 Season Thread
- Thread starter Apple fanboy
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I'm British so I like Lewis Hamilton and his current team Mercedes.
However there are only 2 teams who have a chance of winning.
Mercedes and Ferrari.
Best of the rest is Redbull.
I like their current driver Daniel Ricardo as he's a really nice bloke. But he's leaving for Renault at the end of the year.
My favourite teams are McLaren and Williams. But they both have shocking cars at the moment.
I have similar feelings. Hamilton is probably my favourite, with Ricciardo a close second [theyre quite similar, with a more friendly demeanour and look like they want to overtake without taking the opposition out *cough Max cough*. I grew up with Mansell in a Williams being quite similar and then followed Villeneuve, Button and then Hamilton so McLaren came on the radar when Button and Hamilton were driving for them, which coincided with me watching most of the season on the TV (I don’t really have Sky). Unfortunately both the “full British” teams are doing awfully this season but I think McLaren will be better next year. Williams on the other hand are losing sponsors in Martini and supporters in Stroll so could be in deep trouble.
Yea. Ferrari’s tire wear was a huge contributor. Definitely running more downforce than Mercedes. Could have been far different for Kimi at the end if he could have stayed out on the Supers longer. If he had not had to push those laps waiting for Lewis he might not have had 4 blistered clumps of rubber with 8 laps left.
So for tires, I think I understand:
Ultra soft, super soft, soft, medium and rain
Softer tire compound = better grip = faster lap times (?) / faster speeds (?) = easier to wear out = fewer laps before they need to be changed
I know there’s a rule that on dry track - 2 different types per race.
That's about it. They have two rain tires.
Intermediates and full wets.
In a nut shell yes. However there are a vast myriad of conditions that effect tire wear on any given surface and temperature.
First Pirelli needs to bring a tire to each track with a selection of compounds formulated to work best on that tracks surface. They provide each team with a baseline estimate for how many laps a certain compound "Can last" given ideal conditions. This is based on past race data and anticipated conditions. Pirelli has done very well this year IMO.
Then you have the car setup. The technical input into a setup on todays F1 Car is an engineering tour de force and a bit of luck. The in race adjustments by wire that can be made to a cars tire wear can be very dramatic. Come out of the box with new tires and push too hard the initial 2 laps an you'll pay a price in longevity in 90% of the situations.
Finally you have the driver. Some drivers have a natural feel born within them. They can take a set of tires a distance beyond it's expected durability. You'll hear drivers referred to puttying the power does on exit smoothly and not over heating the rears. Pushing too hard into corners with understeer will cook the front tires which leads to lockups and flat spots. Some drivers are far better with balancing the brake bias in their car during the race.
In the end Tire temperature is the end all. Manage the complete package and don't cook your tires.
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In a nut shell yes. However there are a vast myriad of conditions that effect tire wear on any given surface and temperature.
First Pirelli needs to bring a tire to each track with a selection of compounds formulated to work best on that tracks surface. They provide each team with a baseline estimate for how many laps a certain compound "Can last" given ideal conditions. This is based on past race data and anticipated conditions. Pirelli has done very well this year IMO.
Then you have the car setup. The technical input into a setup on todays F1 Car is an engineering tour de force and a bit of luck. The in race adjustments by wire that can be made to a cars tire wear can be very dramatic. Come out of the box with new tires and push too hard the initial 2 laps an you'll pay a price in longevity in 90% of the situations.
Finally you have the driver. Some drivers have a natural feel born within them. They can take a set of tires a distance beyond it's expected durability. You'll hear drivers referred to puttying the power does on exit smoothly and not over heating the rears. Pushing too hard into corners with understeer will cook the front tires which leads to lockups and flat spots. Some drivers are far better with balancing the brake bias in their car during the race.
In the end Tire temperature is the end all. Manage the complete package and don't cook your tires.
So everyone uses the exact same tires?
I did notice in the last race the announcers were talk about spinning the tires a few times. I can see why that would be such a bad thing given the relatively short lifespan of the tires.
Effectively. The tires are hand-made so there is some very minor variation between individual tires, but the compounds (Soft, Medium, etc.) and construction are identical. And Pirelli works to try and match tires into sets for consistency.
I the regs were changed at one point because the likes of Ferrari and Renault had personal relationships with Bridgestone and Michelin with tyres almost being customised on demand. The same was the case with fuel suppliers. It’s nice to see a more level playing field these days.
Another example was Honda who developed a qualifying engine for McLaren back in the late 80’s in the days when cars weren’t locked in Parc Ferme overnight lol.
Another example was Honda who developed a qualifying engine for McLaren back in the late 80’s in the days when cars weren’t locked in Parc Ferme overnight lol.
What was the first Grand Prix you went to? I started watching properly in 1988 and my first GP was Silverstone 1993.
I've never been to a Grand Prix
Been to other rallycross and super bike races.
One day maybe, but life always seems to get in the way.
I went tot he USGP when it was held at Indy 5 years in a row. Loved it. Nothing special though.
I saw that Indy Cars will be at The Track of the Americas in 2019 along with F1. Any predictions on how much lower the F1 lap times will be?
[doublepost=1536416722][/doublepost]
This is a nicely done video on Mercedes recent changes to manage rear tire wear. It's a good channel to subscribe to if you want to learn about technical changes and their relationship to a chassis' performance.
I saw that Indy Cars will be at The Track of the Americas in 2019 along with F1. Any predictions on how much lower the F1 lap times will be?
[doublepost=1536416722][/doublepost]
pfft.
you trying to make a point to me?
i don't care either way. i enjoy both series for what they are.
all i meant was as much as i wanted to go, the event itself was just meh. i did enjoy going though.
I’m in the heart of NASCAR country. Definitely not my thing. My father in law is a big fan, so my wife used to watch it all the time. I used to joke that with was the thing where they went left... and left.. and left.
(Fixed the double post)
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I saw that Indy Cars will be at The Track of the Americas in 2019 along with F1. Any predictions on how much lower the F1 lap times will be?
I would expect the "downforce differential" to favor the F1 cars in terms of lap times.
No idea where you’re going on this? Was simply making an observation that it would be neat to have both series at Austin for the first time.
Kimi leaving Ferrari and moving to Sauber for the next two seasons.
https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/09/11/raikkonen-to-quit-ferrari-at-the-end-of-2018/
https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/09/11/raikkonen-to-join-sauber/
I didn't see that coming!
[doublepost=1536655932][/doublepost]Leclerc confirmed at Ferrari for 2019.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ferrari-announces-leclerc-replacing-raikkonen/3174725/
https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/09/11/raikkonen-to-quit-ferrari-at-the-end-of-2018/
https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/09/11/raikkonen-to-join-sauber/
I didn't see that coming!
[doublepost=1536655932][/doublepost]Leclerc confirmed at Ferrari for 2019.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ferrari-announces-leclerc-replacing-raikkonen/3174725/
Kimi leaving Ferrari and moving to Sauber for the next two seasons.
https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/09/11/raikkonen-to-quit-ferrari-at-the-end-of-2018/
https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/09/11/raikkonen-to-join-sauber/
I didn't see that coming!
[doublepost=1536655932][/doublepost]Leclerc confirmed at Ferrari for 2019.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ferrari-announces-leclerc-replacing-raikkonen/3174725/
wow
didn't he start his career there?
This does make Haas’ position very precarious as their whole model is based on basically running a reskinned Ferrari.
Sauber has far deeper connections to Maranello than Haas. IMO, Sauber has a better setup for 2019. Their current 2018 chassis is making very good progress. I’m sure there were internal factors we don’t know of. I’m actually shocked he is not walking away. 2 years with another team was not on my list of outcomes. Kimi must have been offered a very lucrative deal, and still wants to compete. Giving his “Family Guy” aura this season it’s interesting. Nigel won at 43 so we will see.
IMO, this makes Ferrari less of a factor in 2019. I don’t see Vettel and Leclerc getting along. Sauber will be a contender in 2019 now.
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Could be a way to move Sauber up in the Constructor's Championship in 2019 and 2020 to bolster their finances to better position them for the 2021 rules change, which will be expensive.
We know Sergio wanted to let Kimi go and hire LeClerc and after he passed, there was speculation Kimi would now stay. I wonder if the decision had been made to hire LeClerc earlier in the season and a contract to that effect signed, but Kimi's improved performance was enough to trigger some sort of "renewal clause" that would have precluded LeClerc coming in 2019 without Ferrari buying out his contract. If this was the case, Ferrari effectively swapping him for LeClerc and perhaps adding a second year (at a similar salary to 2019) could have been how they worked it out.
We know Sergio wanted to let Kimi go and hire LeClerc and after he passed, there was speculation Kimi would now stay. I wonder if the decision had been made to hire LeClerc earlier in the season and a contract to that effect signed, but Kimi's improved performance was enough to trigger some sort of "renewal clause" that would have precluded LeClerc coming in 2019 without Ferrari buying out his contract. If this was the case, Ferrari effectively swapping him for LeClerc and perhaps adding a second year (at a similar salary to 2019) could have been how they worked it out.
The other thing is this may make it more likely that Giovinazzi might get the second seat at Sauber, as the allure of Kimi would outweigh the money of Ericsson and allow Sauber to get more for their sponsorship packages.