2023 Formula 1 Season thread

[headlessmike]

hmmm some of the tracks are older than he is though...

Not all the tracks. Max has been quite open as to his dislike for temporary street circuits. He has always been one to favor the tracks with the 200+ KM/H sweeping turns. That's his style. He simply has the ability to make the adjustments required to win. Singapore was a failed experiment IMO. RBR tried something and even Max was unable to tame it.

I was trying to crack a joke, a dangerous thing to do online.

Some people always claim that teams only design their cars around one driver, or that the FIA bends the rules for certain teams. They're wrong. It's the track designers that are biased. /s

 

[Glideslope]

I was trying to crack a joke, a dangerous thing to do online.

Some people always claim that teams only design their cars around one driver, or that the FIA bends the rules for certain teams. They're wrong. It's the track designers that are biased. /s

I understand. I was simply communicating all the complaining Max does regarding Road Circuits.

 

[headlessmike]

I understand. I was simply communicating all the complaining Max does regarding Road Circuits.

He's trying to trick his opponents. It's like Lewis complaining about his tyres just before setting the fastest lap of the race.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The key advantage Red Bull have over the rest of the field is the higher mechanical grip, something that has been discussed extensively, especially last season and the continuation into this. They also have by far the most superior DRS system on the grid. The mandate dictates that there is an 85mm gap once the wing is open but the aero design Red Bull (Newey) have employed across a number of wing designs to suit various tracks has meant Max especially has been able to manage his straightline advantage very effectively. Red Bull haven't just got a package that is universal, but a suite of aero packages that all seem to be a continuation of this advantage throughout the season. This is possibly why the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes and even Aston Martin at the beginning of the season were able to perform well at certain tracks and then drop off depending on how well their cars suited the flow of each track.

Until other teams work out what Red Bull have done so right, no amount of driver talent is going to compete for wins against a driver of Max's talent, and in a car carrying a significant advantage. Winning by 13.8 seconds is huge, even if this time has decreased somewhat over the season.

Yet another good reason for DRS to go away. Literally the worst thing to happen in F1 in years.

 

[CWallace]

I mean back when "aero ruled them all", I get the reason for DRS because you just could not pass unless you were at like Barcelona with a mile-long straight to slipstream long enough to be able to make a pass.

But now that F1 seems to be pushing mechanical grip again, hopefully we will get to a point where DRS will no longer be needed for cars to pass on shorter straights.

Then again, with the trend of adding DRS to any straight they can, I fear it has become a "gimmick" to "improve the show" for the general public who don't follow F1 for the technical aspects like us old-timers.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I mean back when "aero ruled them all", I get the reason for DRS because you just could not pass unless you were at like Barcelona with a mile-long straight to slipstream long enough to be able to make a pass.

But now that F1 seems to be pushing mechanical grip again, hopefully we will get to a point where DRS will no longer be needed for cars to pass on shorter straights.

Then again, with the trend of adding DRS to any straight they can, I fear it has become a "gimmick" to "improve the show" for the general public who don't follow F1 for the technical aspects like us old-timers.

But you get a better show without. Now the pass is a foregone conclusion way before the corner. Let’s get back to who can brake latest and still get it round the bend.

 

[Glideslope]

Well, this is interesting……..

Mercedes lose top-level technical boss following shock departure

Following a mid-season shuffle of their senior technical staff, one of their key figureheads has opted to leave Mercedes.

www.planetf1.com

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Well, this is interesting……..

Mercedes lose top-level technical boss following shock departure

Following a mid-season shuffle of their senior technical staff, one of their key figureheads has opted to leave Mercedes.

www.planetf1.com

With James Allison coming back to a technical director role, Mike Elliot was going to move on at some point. He’d been sidelined and nobody stays with a company long after that sort of thing, especially in F1.

 

[OldMacPro2]

Well, this is interesting……..

Mercedes lose top-level technical boss following shock departure

Following a mid-season shuffle of their senior technical staff, one of their key figureheads has opted to leave Mercedes.

www.planetf1.com

Toto was not happy with the two season design divergence into a "no sidepod" car.

F1 is a hard business, somebody had to be sacrificed.

 

[pachyderm]

Toto was not happy with the two season design divergence into a "no sidepod" car.

F1 is a hard business, somebody had to be sacrificed.

That car was beautiful!

 

[Glideslope]

Edit: F1 just issued a statement the race will not be cancelled. They see no safety concerns.


Abu Dhabi may be cancelled due to Security Concerns the Region.Teams were notified yesterday.

Meetings currently underway……………

 

[Glideslope]

Vandalism already starting....... Vegas will be a 1 race event.

 

[Kopite]

Something of an over dramatic headline, I was expecting the walkway to be littered with debris when all they've done is peel off a layer of self adhesive film. Perhaps the panels should have been put in the other way round

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Toto was not happy with the two season design divergence into a "no sidepod" car.

F1 is a hard business, somebody had to be sacrificed.

With good reason as it was a bit of a mess considering the years prior. Mike Elliot is a highly skilled aerodynamicist and there were some serious flaws with that car, even if it looked one of the nicest cars on the grid that year. He had a fresh brief under brand new regulations after his promotion to technical director in May 2021, and I’d imagine even he was disappointed with his leadership. I know he was instrumental in all of their past championships so it’s sad he is leaving completely.

 

[Pezimak]

Vandalism already starting....... Vegas will be a 1 race event.

These screens are just as stupid as this race is!

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

These screens are just as stupid as this race is!

Yep, about as manufactured and naff as everything else to do with a Vegas GP.

 

[Glideslope]

Something of an over dramatic headline, I was expecting the walkway to be littered with debris when all they've done is peel off a layer of self adhesive film. Perhaps the panels should have been put in the other way round

They would just climb over to remove them and fall onto the surface. It’s Vegas.

 

[zagato27]

Vandalism already starting....... Vegas will be a 1 race event.

We can only hope. I''m tired of these street events. Get rid of them all and go back to real tracks. That includes Monaco.

 

[JustinePaula]

Vandalism already starting....... Vegas will be a 1 race event.

Could the promoter please explain, 1-the cost to exclude.. 2-Is this less than the money they expect to generate? For what is a 90minute event, they are going to extreme lengths of time and money to exclude... Would not be surprised if by race day there is chaos...

 

[cyb3rdud3]

I can't help but think that they are missing a major trick. They should learn from the experience gained over decades and fine-tuned from places like Monaco, where there are many residencies and places that have views. And processes that deal with crowds, access etc. Embrace the fans, the viewpoints, etc. Monetize them by all means, but don't try to exclude them. That never works for any situation.

 

[Don Quixote]

We can only hope. I''m tired of these street events. Get rid of them all and go back to real tracks. That includes Monaco.

Agreed. Keep Monaco though...
Firewall at work won't let me see the video... what happened?

 

[Abdichoudxyz]

We can only hope. I''m tired of these street events. Get rid of them all and go back to real tracks. That includes Monaco.

Totally agree. Street circuits are no place for F1 cars. Monaco is a throwback to when F1 cars were much smaller and significantly slower. Things have changed a lot on f1 in the last 50-60 years or so though. The only reason it remains on the calendar is money. F1 is good PR for Monaco; they need good advertising to entice all the tax dodgers to live there...

 

[headlessmike]

Agreed. Keep Monaco though...
Firewall at work won't let me see the video... what happened?

Walkways adjacent to the track had their walls covered with film to limit what non-paying pedestrians could see of the racetrack. The video showed where people had torn these down.

 

[pachyderm]

1	1	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	1:10.436	1:10.162	1:10.727	18
2	16	Charles Leclerc	FERRARI	1:10.472	1:10.303	1:11.021	18
3	18	Lance Stroll	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	1:10.551	1:10.375	1:11.344	16
4	14	Fernando Alonso	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	1:10.557	1:10.237	1:11.387	18
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	MERCEDES	1:10.604	1:10.266	1:11.469	21
6	63	George Russell	MERCEDES	1:10.340	1:10.316	1:11.590	21
7	4	Lando Norris	MCLAREN MERCEDES	1:10.623	1:10.021	1:11.987	13
8	55	Carlos Sainz	FERRARI	1:10.624	1:10.254	1:11.989	20
9	11	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	1:10.668	1:10.219	1:12.321	17
10	81	Oscar Piastri	MCLAREN MERCEDES	1:10.519	1:10.330	DNF	15
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	HAAS FERRARI	1:10.475	1:10.547		15
12	31	Esteban Ocon	ALPINE RENAULT	1:10.763	1:10.562		15
13	10	Pierre Gasly	ALPINE RENAULT	1:10.793	1:10.567		14
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	HAAS FERRARI	1:10.602	1:10.723		15
15	23	Alexander Albon	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	1:10.621	1:10.840		15
16	22	Yuki Tsunoda	ALPHATAURI HONDA RBPT	1:10.837			9
17	3	Daniel Ricciardo	ALPHATAURI HONDA RBPT	1:10.843			6
18	77	Valtteri Bottas	ALFA ROMEO FERRARI	1:10.955			9
19	2	Logan Sargeant	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	1:11.035			9
20	24	Zhou Guanyu	ALFA ROMEO FERRARI	1:11.275			9

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I’ve seen quite a few videos on social media from people from Las Vegas who are showing the true view of how disruptive this race is to the city. Palm trees cut down, fountains drained and huge metal cladding over the foot bridges for ‘safety reasons’ (yeah right). The dishonesty of F1 obscuring views in a public place is ridiculous. Monaco accept that a significant proportion of spectators will not have paid and that is the price you pay for holding a race in a public place. Hopefully this will be the second and last race for this venue and we can see proper purpose built tracks returning to the calendar in future. Most of the iconic landmarks from Las Vegas have been hidden anyway. Ridiculous.