Post: #126

I understand their choice to do this. The Honda f1 engine this is probably the worst one. I keep hearing them talk about how the single cylinder model worked fine and they're puzzled at the vibrations and problems when they build it as a v6. All engines have different harmonics depending on the configuration, number of cylinders, crank style, and firing order. Honda should know this. Honda should know the corrective action. Honda seems to be suffering from the same mindset that Toyota had during their foray into f1.

Removing Ron Dennis was the best thing that could have happened at mclaren. Their last drivers championship was '08, and their last constructors title was in'98. Alonso first came to mclaren in '07 after winning back to back championships, and Ron treated him like a number 2 driver in favor of an unknown rookie. He made no effort to control the ensuing drama which led to the spygate incident. Ron was then forced to step down the first time after encouraging Lewis to lie the stewards at the Australian go in '09. I say good riddance.

Indy has a poor record for safety, and this race is not without risk. But the newer cars have mostly resolved the issue of catapulting on contact. But mclaren have a serious problem. They've got a championship winning driver and they're paying him top dollar. He's driving a car that's an utter joke. If/when he leaves, mclaren has nothing. Who cares about the Monaco race if they can't even finish it? That's the reality at the moment. They want to keep him happy so he'll stick around. Mercedes, Ferrari, and possibly Red Bull will all have open seats at the end of the season. Bottas has to prove himself, and I don't see raikonnen winning another championship. A potential win by mclaren at Indy may be the only thing that keeps Alonso at mclaren.

Post: #127

@Porscheguy

saying the Honda F1 engine is "probably the worst" is like saying the Citroen 2CV is "somewhat unappealing".

I totally agree that Honda's comments on the single cylinder model not correlating to the engine as a whole are baffling. the idea that such a thing happens in a vacuum is staggeringly naive for a Formula 1 engine manufacturer.

I don't think equating the mindset to Toyota's last F1 foray is necessary when you could equate the mindset to... Honda's last F1 foray. Remember your Earth Dream?

Let's be real, Alonso joined McLaren (first time 'round) expecting unflinching adulation as a two time champion. Unfortunately racing is a cruel sport governed not by reputation but the stopwatch. As someone who has never rooted for Lewis, I can still acknowledge he is brilliantly quick and Alonso was caught flat footed by a rookie.

I don't disagree that Ron's time had come any more than any other sport leader has a certain shelf life before the message becomes stale and people stop responding. Look at almost any football (Europe) or football (America) manager with a long tenure. Eventually the players stop listening. Will the new regime be any better? I have my doubts.

I'm calling right now, 2018 is going to have a ton of upheaval in the driver market. Bottas is on a 1 year contract as you said. If Lewis wins championship #4 (as any betting man would have to assume) does he walk off into the sunset? At this pace Raikkonen can't possibly retain his seat into 2018. Ricciardo is fighting for his life against Verstappen and I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see him pull a Vettel and leave RBR after being upstaged (let's not forget Sainz is waiting in the wings). If Renault can improve and Palmer inexorably exits stage right, could that seat be in demand?

Post: #128

Honda had the good sense to bring in Ross Brawn. Brawn said in his book that it takes 3 years to turn a team around. The brawn go car was proof of that. That was Honda in '09 with a benz engine. Toyota was one of the highest funded teams ever in f1. Their mantra was "we don't import excellence, we find it within." They were one of three teams with the double diffuser in '09 and clearly had the highest budget. They were set up for a win at Bahrain. They fucked it up. That was the story of Toyota. A few outsiders could have produced wins and kept them in the sport.

People keep suggesting that Lewis could walk at the end of the year, but I don't see why he would. Even though he's got more than enough money, he'll never earn more than what he's getting now. I can see both sides though. He's a diva who could storm out if he's dissed. But his pride won't let him walk until he has more championships than any of his generation of drivers. You're right about next year though. There will be a lot of driver movement.

Are the engines under a freeze this year? If not, there's no reason at all for Renault, Honda, and Ferrari to lag behind Mercedes for more than half the season.

Post: #129

(04-12-2017 11:00 PM)porscheguy Wrote:  I understand their choice to do this. The Honda f1 engine this is probably the worst one. I keep hearing them talk about how the single cylinder model worked fine and they're puzzled at the vibrations and problems when they build it as a v6. All engines have different harmonics depending on the configuration, number of cylinders, crank style, and firing order. Honda should know this. Honda should know the corrective action. Honda seems to be suffering from the same mindset that Toyota had during their foray into f1.

I think Honda has a budget of around 70 million pounds. Which should be fine for a company that already has the R&D en production structure and knowledge in related fields. I believe that's what Honda is lacking, Honda used to be a company at the forefront of engine design (I'm talking about the engines in production cars). However they gave up on that and are 10 years behind the top European manufacturers (to be honest, they are making huge efforts in small turbofan engines for private jets).

Post: #130

(04-12-2017 11:15 PM)kmhour Wrote:  I'm calling right now, 2018 is going to have a ton of upheaval in the driver market. Bottas is on a 1 year contract as you said. If Lewis wins championship #4 (as any betting man would have to assume) does he walk off into the sunset? At this pace Raikkonen can't possibly retain his seat into 2018. Ricciardo is fighting for his life against Verstappen and I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see him pull a Vettel and leave RBR after being upstaged (let's not forget Sainz is waiting in the wings). If Renault can improve and Palmer inexorably exits stage right, could that seat be in demand?

Alonso to Renault?
Unless people like Hamilton or Vettel walk out, there's not much left for him.
RBR don't pay mega saleries, and all the other teams don't have the means. Allegedly Alonso has offered (in the past) to drive for free for a top team (I'm assuming in reality it means on bonuses only).

Post: #131

(04-12-2017 11:15 PM)kmhour Wrote:  I'm calling right now, 2018 is going to have a ton of upheaval in the driver market. Bottas is on a 1 year contract as you said. If Lewis wins championship #4 (as any betting man would have to assume) does he walk off into the sunset? At this pace Raikkonen can't possibly retain his seat into 2018. Ricciardo is fighting for his life against Verstappen and I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see him pull a Vettel and leave RBR after being upstaged (let's not forget Sainz is waiting in the wings). If Renault can improve and Palmer inexorably exits stage right, could that seat be in demand?

Well said.

Bottas will be alright, as long as he stays close to Hamilton. He has Toto in his corner as part of his management team.

Raikonnen was lucky to get another year in the Ferrari. He will not be there next year, that spot will be very interesting to see who gets it.
Vettel is under a lot of pressure as well, if he doesn't win the title this year I wonder what the team will do.

Verstappen has already got the better of Ricciardo or should we say Webber 2.0. The kid is the future and I am sure he is in talks with a big team right now, could the Ferrari seat be waiting for him.

Hamilton will not be leaving anytime soon, he has the top car and is with a global brand like Mercedes.

Post: #132

(04-13-2017 12:09 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  Raikonnen was lucky to get another year in the Ferrari. He will not be there next year, that spot will be very interesting to see who gets it.
Vettel is under a lot of pressure as well, if he doesn't win the title this year I wonder what the team will do.

Verstappen has already got the better of Ricciardo or should we say Webber 2.0. The kid is the future and I am sure he is in talks with a big team right now, could the Ferrari seat be waiting for him.

Hamilton will not be leaving anytime soon, he has the top car and is with a global brand like Mercedes.

I expect either Ricciardo or Sainz to get that seat (if Kimi would be out). Sainz isn't gonna stay at STR for a 4th season, so either he gets promoted to RBR or he leaves to another team (Ferrari, Renault etc).

What do you guys think Mercedes expects of Bottas? He's on a 1 year contract.

Post: #133

Mercedes expect bottas to keep the seat warm.

Post: #134

(04-14-2017 11:10 AM)Svoboda Wrote:  

(04-13-2017 12:09 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  Raikonnen was lucky to get another year in the Ferrari. He will not be there next year, that spot will be very interesting to see who gets it.
Vettel is under a lot of pressure as well, if he doesn't win the title this year I wonder what the team will do.

Verstappen has already got the better of Ricciardo or should we say Webber 2.0. The kid is the future and I am sure he is in talks with a big team right now, could the Ferrari seat be waiting for him.

Hamilton will not be leaving anytime soon, he has the top car and is with a global brand like Mercedes.

I expect either Ricciardo or Sainz to get that seat (if Kimi would be out). Sainz isn't gonna stay at STR for a 4th season, so either he gets promoted to RBR or he leaves to another team (Ferrari, Renault etc).

What do you guys think Mercedes expects of Bottas? He's on a 1 year contract.

You really think Ferrari want those two drivers.

Ricciardo is a decent driver but Sainz.

Post: #135

Who else would be suitable and available?
Perez, likely.
Alonso? I'd love love that.
Giovinazzi , very much availlable but Ferrari wouldn't see him as suitable, needs a few seasons in F1.

Post: #136

Bottas surprising everyone.

Post: #137

Ferrari locked out the front row in qualifying. First time since '08. Hamilton came in P4. Second time he's been out qualified by his teammate this year. He obviously wasn't too happy as he wouldn't remove his helmet until after he went behind closed doors.

The period of Mercedes technical dominance has come to an end. They still have a good chance at both titles. Both ferraris have used their limit on engine components. Any more changes and they start taking grid penalties. It highlights the stupidity of the modern rules.

Post: #138

Fucking. Gold.

Post: #139

Kimi is... special.

Post: #140

(05-07-2017 09:31 PM)Dan Woolf Wrote:  Kimi is... special.

Hi I'm Nicole, nice to meet you.
-I really like one of your movies.
Which one?
-Eyes Wide Shut

Post: #141

Man, how about Alonso in Indy 500 qualifying yesterday? Looked smooth as glass. It'll take luck to win the thing, but he seems to have a solid chance of actually competing.

Honda seems to have Indycar figured out this year.

Post: #142

Alonso has been improving every single time he does laps in Indycar. 5th position start is impressive for a novice.

He's literally a cult figure in F1.
The best driver since Schumacher, and a man who seemingly lives in a world of his own.

Good luck to him. A high finish would be great for motorsport. I'd be glad if he finishes high and has zero contact all day.

Post: #143

(05-22-2017 10:23 AM)brick tamland Wrote:  Alonso has been improving every single time he does laps in Indycar. 5th position start is impressive for a novice.

He's literally a cult figure in F1.
The best driver since Schumacher, and a man who seemingly lives in a world of his own.

Good luck to him. A high finish would be great for motorsport. I'd be glad if he finishes high and has zero contact all day.

It'll be down to a lot of luck, but if he keeps it straight and gets lucky I think he'll pull off a very solid finish.

It's made F1 look good, as they're generally considered the best. Most Indy drivers probably couldn't play ball there.

Post: #144

I watch every race and qualifying. And have done for a very long time.

But it was getting ridiculous with 1 team dominating everything.
Atleast Ferrari challenge Merc now.

However, there's another major problem - hardly any overtaking. And I don't think tis because of the tracks. Its because the top speed difference between cars is limited... and ofcourse top speed is too. Most of it is dictated by qualifying with some slight variation on race day for the top drivers.

All this undercut bullshit dictating races is garbage. Its like racing your friends and then pulling out to go to the garage and get your tyres replaced. Or pulling in to get some crisps and cans of lager. Then saying "oh I would have won... but I was hungry".

We don't give a shit about the "battle between teams" ie Ecclestone's money making bs. Its becoming a triumph of style over substance. I mean even the 2nd tier cars, or cars from years back are faster.
OK in the 70s and 80s it was a deathsport. But now, its racing without racing. More hardcore race fans than me are actively refusing to watch.

They need faster cars, lots of drivers able to compete. And most importantly LOTS OF OVERTAKING.

I'm a big racing fan, but I am getting disillusioned with it a bit.

Post: #145

(05-24-2017 05:58 AM)BelyyTigr Wrote:  I watch every race and qualifying. And have done for a very long time.

But it was getting ridiculous with 1 team dominating everything.
Atleast Ferrari challenge Merc now.

However, there's another major problem - hardly any overtaking. And I don't think tis because of the tracks. Its because the top speed difference between cars is limited... and ofcourse top speed is too. Most of it is dictated by qualifying with some slight variation on race day for the top drivers.

All this undercut bullshit dictating races is garbage. Its like racing your friends and then pulling out to go to the garage and get your tyres replaced. Or pulling in to get some crisps and cans of lager. Then saying "oh I would have won... but I was hungry".

We don't give a shit about the "battle between teams" ie Ecclestone's money making bs. Its becoming a triumph of style over substance. I mean even the 2nd tier cars, or cars from years back are faster.
OK in the 70s and 80s it was a deathsport. But now, its racing without racing. More hardcore race fans than me are actively refusing to watch.

They need faster cars, lots of drivers able to compete. And most importantly LOTS OF OVERTAKING.

I'm a big racing fan, but I am getting disillusioned with it a bit.

Post: #146

Lol Nope.
I've never watched a NASCAR race. Don't they go round in an oval or something? The only clip I ever saw was when that British bloke died.

I just want F1 to be more like it was a few years back. Like most people I think.

Post: #147

(05-24-2017 07:02 AM)BelyyTigr Wrote:  I just want F1 to be more like it was a few years back. Like most people I think.

Be more specific. Do you mean last year when the race in China had the most overtakes ever? Or further back in time? Also, was last year's race in China more thrilling than this year's races? I can also assure you that most people don't want more overtaking if they happen because of cheese tires and DRS.

The last time I enjoyed F1 this much was before 2010.

Post: #148

This season looks like it might be a competition between Ferrari and Mercedes.

Ferrari doesn't always have the best strategy and have thrown away two races already.

Sad to see Red Bull falling behind.

I like the Verstappen kid.

Post: #149

(05-24-2017 09:24 AM)rudebwoy Wrote:  This season looks like it might be a competition between Ferrari and Mercedes.

Ferrari doesn't always have the best strategy and have thrown away two races already.

Sad to see Red Bull falling behind.

I like the Verstappen kid.

Merc isn't much better. They'll both chuck away their fair share of races this year me thinks.

Post: #150

Ahh Hungarian GP was painful to watch with not much overtaking at the front of the grid. Looks like Ferrari are pretty openly going to support Vettel for the championship since Raikkonen is so far behind but the Mercedes duo seem to be getting equal backing (As evidenced by Hamilton giving back P3) meaning they could be taking points off each other while Vettel streams ahead.