The Official Formula One Thread!

[SDRider]

Okay, how about a thread here where we discuss the current F1 season?

F1 is returning after the summer break to Spa-Francorchamps, probably my favorite circuit on the calendar. It is one of the longest tracks they race on at just over 4 miles around so it actually seems like the cars are going somewhere and the shots of the cars flying up through Eau-rouge are always spectacular. I can't wait until I get home tonight to watch free practice.

I'm a big fan of Lewis Hamilton and hope he takes a victory here this weekend. This track should suit the Mercedes cars. Should be a good race and as always the threat of rain will add some excitement to the weekend.

I've been a die hard fan of F1 since the mid 1990s and I have never missed watching a Grand Prix. I have never been to an F1 race but might have to make that happen soon.

Anyone here going to Spa this weekend? I know we have some fans here.

[OmegaJJH]

Great thread idea

Huge F1 fan and Lewis fan too!

My one and only time attending an F1 race was Silverstone in 2008 when Hamilton won in the rain. It was my stag do!!!!

Never miss a race on TV

My only other thing worth mentioning is I got to drive around the F1 circuit in Abu Dhabi in the ACTUAL F1 Safety car.






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[Zakalwe]

I'll subscribe to this.

Never been to Spa, though have been to Silverstone a few times, both to the GP and to drive comically slowly in Ferraris and Porsches (not mine!). I agree Spa is an epic circuit and, unlike some other historic European tracks hasn't been wrecked by regulations (*cough* Hockenheim *cough*).

Hamilton is definitely the man to beat round the layout this weekend. Hopefully Bottas can get himself near the front and take some points off Vettel. This race and the next one at Monza give Hamilton the chance to close on Vettel in the title race, but the race afterwards is in Singapore, which is as much of a Ferrari track as they come.

[SDRider]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

I'll subscribe to this.

Never been to Spa, though have been to Silverstone a few times, both to the GP and to drive comically slowly in Ferraris and Porsches (not mine!). I agree Spa is an epic circuit and, unlike some other historic European tracks hasn't been wrecked by regulations (*cough* Hockenheim *cough*).

Hamilton is definitely the man to beat round the layout this weekend. Hopefully Bottas can get himself near the front and take some points off Vettel. This race and the next one at Monza give Hamilton the chance to close on Vettel in the title race, but the race afterwards is in Singapore, which is as much of a Ferrari track as they come.

Hockenheim is a joke of a track now. It used to be epic with those long straights running out into the forest and back. I remember when Barrichello won there in changing weather by staying out on dry tires while everyone else pit because it was raining on one half of the circuit but the other half was dry.

I like Bottas too. I think he has proven he is worthy of the Mercedes drive and like that he and Hamilton get along. I thought what Hamilton did a couple races ago was very sportsmanlike, giving the position back to Bottas at the last corner after Bottas let him by earlier to try to take the fight to the Ferraris.

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by SDRider

Hockenheim is a joke of a track now. It used to be epic with those long straights running out into the forest and back. I remember when Barrichello won there in changing weather by staying out on dry tires while everyone else pit because it was raining on one half of the circuit but the other half was dry.

I like Bottas too. I think he has proven he is worthy of the Mercedes drive and like that he and Hamilton get along. I thought what Hamilton did a couple races ago was very sportsmanlike, giving the position back to Bottas at the last corner after Bottas let him by earlier to try to take the fight to the Ferraris.

Yup. I like Hamilton but I was surprised he gave that place back. It goes to show he's got a bit of class about him. I like Vettel too, occasional cheating notwithstanding, but we will not be seeing him giving any places to Kimi any time soon.

[MrInternational]

Subscribed! I love F1 and watch virtually every race. I've o my been to one in Austin (US Grand Prix). I've never been a fan of Lewis. He turned me off early on and I've never warmed to him. His talent and capabilities are unquestionable, obviously. Just don't like him personally much. I'm a fan of Ricciardo and Alonso and somewhat of Kimi too. Bottas is likable enough and of course who doesn't like Massa with his sweet emotions, solid talent, and respectable career. I don't mind most everyone else but Verstappen is on the bubble with me. He is also an extremely talented you driver who needs to tame his emotions a bit while keeping home of his drive to win. Anyway Spa is awesome! Can't wait to read more from everyone here


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[SDRider]

By the way, I was puzzled beyond belief when Nico Rosberg retired after winning the championship last season. I always liked Nico and was hoping he would win the championship last year. Was nice to see him finally attain that dream and the pressure must have been immense on him.

[SearChart]

Spa Francorchamps is my favourite track, I'm just not a big F1 fan.
I was in the neighborhood of Spa yesterday, you can see the track from the highway, there were already tons of fans going to the camping there.

I only watch endurance series these days (highlights), those are some eventful races.

[texasmade]

I've been to Austin the past 2 years and going again this year. I'm also firmly in the Lewis Hamilton and team Mercedes since I also have an AMG.

I wasn't too surprised when Nico quit simply because he knew Lewis is better than him and it took everything out of him to finally beat Lewis. After that he was emotionally and mentally drained while Lewis seemed disappointed but ready to go again.

[zama]

I will play, I may be the only person on TRF having been to F1 races this year in the northern and southern hemisphere. Cant say I am a fan of the modern cars but have faith the new owners will go back to entertainment over some pretended green initiatives and the vacuum cleaner motors. Safety measures are great but would better with less downforce and dirty air for cars traveling behind.

Would love to have been at Monaco in the days of V8,10 & 12's but had fun anyway. My hat probably shows have been a fan a while. Definitely a Fan boy of Dan the Man. a keen eye you can tell the photo from Melbourne (apart from a different track look) but by the addition of the bigger numbers after the first few races. I guess people dress a little more casual as well. Less Rolex at the track in Melbourne than in Monaco.

Can't see Mercedes getting beaten, hope they are, but Vettel is not a driver I like. Spa is an awesome track, definitely want to see either F1 there or a round of the World Endurance Championship.

[SpeakWithMichael]

Longtime fan. Been to an F1 practice day at Montmelo thanks to a friend inviting me. The thunder of an F1 car as it screams down gears from a long straight onto a slow curve, and how you feel it in your body like bass out of a massive speaker, is something else.

[goin camping]

Watched free practice today. It was like getting a fix after the summer break.

Pulling for Hamilton.

[offrdmania]

I really want to like F1 more but when the series is very fan unfriendly and the race is essentially won in qualifying, its hard to stay interested during the race. I laugh at the commentators when there is a pass during the race and they get so excited as if it was the greatest thing they have ever seen. Maybe because in F1 that is a rare occurrence. I like the sportscar races and Indycar, very fan friendly and the access is amazing. As well as the racing. Third pic is Scott Pruett. Recent article about his Daytona 24 watch collection.

[SDRider]

Originally Posted by offrdmania

I really want to like F1 more but when the series is very fan unfriendly and the race is essentially won in qualifying, its hard to stay interested during the race. I laugh at the commentators when there is a pass during the race and they get so excited as if it was the greatest thing they have ever seen. Maybe because in F1 that is a rare occurrence. I like the sportscar races and Indycar, very fan friendly and the access is amazing. As well as the racing. Third pic is Scott Pruett. Recent article about his Daytona 24 watch collection.

I was at Long Beach this year for the Indycar race and there wasn't a whole lot of passing there either. I think there may have been one lead change the entire race.

[offrdmania]

Originally Posted by SDRider

I was at Long Beach this year for the Indycar race and there wasn't a whole lot of passing there either. I think there may have been one lead change the entire race.

That is a rarity and not the majority

[Laszlo]

I sure do miss the old days of F1 though. Would do just about anything to go back in time. Except give up my family.

[SearChart]

Max having bad luck again, was hoping to see some big action but his car failed him once again.

[GoingPlaces]

Began following F1 late, missed the V10's, 12's and such so I can't really compare the modern era to anything else. Will agree that majority of races are won in qualifying shy of driver error or tech. malfunction. Commentators excited over irrelevant passing says a lot. Although a Benz/AMG fan, glad to see Ferrari making gains and adding excitement to what would have been another predictable year.

[MrInternational]

It was a pretty good race. Verstappen is having more than bad luck. This is a pattern and you can't blame reliability when the other virtually identical car has consistent podiums and rare technical issues. He drives hard. It's not difficult to understand that abusing a machine can lead to its lack of reliability. I know nothing but this just occurs to me. I was very disappointed in Vettel & Ferrari because with fresher softer rubber they couldn't keep up with the Merc. Ricciardo is of course a fantastic driver and had an outstanding result. I think Perez should lose his seat and would be fine if he never raced F1 again. He's always been reckless with a few periods of good behavior I suppose when he was warned by someone. The manner in which he closed the door on Ocon was extremely dangerous and unnecessary and frankly unsportsmanlike. Alonso I think just gave up the race said there was an engine problem and parked the car in protest. The guy is driving his tail off and is at the top of his form but getting passed by B-level cars and drivers easily. It's a shame to see that. I wish him the best and I fear he may leave F1 altogether after this year. Post retirement comments he mentioned that he's had a lot of wins and done some great things in F1 so he'll consider options after the end of the season. I'd love to see him in a top team next year. Lastly Kimi not slowing for the yellow flag was stupid on his part especially after his complaining about the back markers not obeying blue flags in past races. Anyway - obviously an amazing weekend for Lewis so congrats to him.


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[SDRider]

Lewis Hamilton proved once again that he is one of the best of the modern era of Formula One drivers. I've been really impressed by him the last few years. Well deserved win for him and for Mercedes.

[Zakalwe]

A win for Lewis but the signs are slightly ominous for him for the rest of the season because this track was supposed to be a Mercedes walkover.

Make no mistake, the Ferrari was faster. Vettel was able to stay within 2s of Hamilton the whole race, which is unusual and shows that the Ferrari had the legs on the Merc. The only thing keeping Vettel behind was the Merc's superior straight line speed and Hamilton's superb racing ability.

Hamilton gave a really fascinating insight into his race craft on interview afterwards. Vettel looked for all money like he'd pass Hamilton after the safety car restart. Lewis said that he only used 90% throttle from La Source up until Eau Rouge in order to keep Vettel as close as possible to his gearbox, which sounds completely counter-intuitive when you're trying to stay ahead of the guy. But his reasoning was that had Vettel been a bit further behind, he'd have got a bigger tow from the slipstream, a bigger slingshot down Kemmel and thus enough momentum to overtake. As it was Vettel got just enough tow to pull alongside but once out of Hamilton's wake the superior speed of the Merc kept Lewis in front. Lewis was thinking about all that with a 4x world champion up his chuff at 200mph. Great stuff.

[OmegaJJH]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

A win for Lewis but the signs are slightly ominous for him for the rest of the season because this track was supposed to be a Mercedes walkover.

I agree.

Lewis has come back from the summer break looking supremely focused for the second half of the season however the Merc has a significant downforce deficit to the Ferrari which means they're going to struggle at the slower tracks where the Mercs power advantage will be much less of a factor.

I just hope Mercedes are able to out develop Ferrari and find some extra downforce.

Italy is another high speed track so fingers crossed when they leave Monza the world championship is all square.

Would love to see Hamilton become a 4 time world champion. I think that would be fitting for his natural ability and talent. He could walk away after that for me.



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[Rock]

There are half a dozen drivers in the F1 field who are capable of leading the World Championship given a car as good as the Mercedes has been in the last four Seasons.
F1 is and always has been about luck as much as it is about ability. Alonso would likely have several more World Championship wins if he had gone to Mercedes instead of Ferrari and McLaren when they were both in the doldrums.
Stirling Moss is an example of a driver who should have been a World Champion.
How often have we seen great drivers have a run of bad luck that allows an equally talented competitor to beat them in the Championship.

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by Rock

F1 is and always has been about luck as much as it is about ability.

Like it or not F1 is not primarily about the drivers. The teams value the constructors championship more than they do an individual drivers achievements. F1 is at its core an engineering competition. The challenge is to design and build from the ground up a car, within a very specific set of rules, that can complete a series of races quicker than everybody else's car. One of the key words there is "complete". If your car keeps breaking down you are fundamentally failing the test. This is only unlucky if your perspective is solely that of the driver. But the driver is only one of hundreds who make up an F1 team and even the best driver in the world will acknowledge he is only a small part of getting the car to go as fast as possible.

On the general point of luck, show me a sport that has zero element of luck and I'll show you a sport nobody is interested in.

Originally Posted by Rock

Alonso would likely have several more World Championship wins if he had gone to Mercedes instead of Ferrari and McLaren when they were both in the doldrums.

There's two relevant elements to this with Alonso. Firstly he is an exceptionally gifted driver. Secondly he is, by all accounts, a nightmare to work with (I'm being polite). It could just as easily be said that if he wasn't such a diva, he'd have more world titles. He left Ferrari acrimoniously when he could be driving their current title challenging car. He could also have replaced Rosberg at Merc but Toto Wolf would quite rightly not risk a repeat of the 2007 season that McLaren endured. Speaking of which, Alonso may well have won the title that year too, had he not thrown his toys out of the pram because Lewis was given equal treatment. In fact, Alonso could even have been champion the following year had he stayed since the McLaren won the drivers championship in 2008! It was his own fault that by completely burning his bridges with the best team at the time he ended up in "the doldrums" with Ferrari.

Alonso is his own worst enemy.

[Cobain]

i got excited thinking its a TAG Heuer thread

[SDRider]

3+ hour qualifying this morning due to a rain delay. Great runs at the end with Hamilton getting his 69th pole position and beating Michael Schumacher's all time record. Ferrari didn't seem to have the pace in Q3 despite looking pretty strong in Q1 and 2. Williams driver Lance Stroll will start next to Hamilton in P2 and Esteban Ocon will start P3 due to grid spot penalties for both Red Bull drivers.

Should be a good race tomorrow.

[The Joker]

Congrats to Lewis - Legend.

Lance Stroll, never driven an F1 car in the wet, wow. With all the crap he took. The tears in his Mums eyes. Good for him.

[Dr.Brian]

There was an interesting interview with Gene Haas where he was talking about the teams and how Mercedes and Ferrari are a good second faster than everyone else no matter what they do. He felt that there was perhaps some additional advantage that they had because they were experienced automotive manufacturers. You could see his frustration. He even said that unless things changed in some way that allowed conditions such that all the manufacturers at least had a chance to win that he'd have to consider his continued investment in the team.

[offrdmania]

Originally Posted by Dr.Brian

There was an interesting interview with Gene Haas where he was talking about the teams and how Mercedes and Ferrari are a good second faster than everyone else no matter what they do. He felt that there was perhaps some additional advantage that they had because they were experienced automotive manufacturers. You could see his frustration. He even said that unless things changed in some way that allowed conditions such that all the manufacturers at least had a chance to win that he'd have to consider his continued investment in the team.

I agree. The problem with F1 is that nothing occurs during a race to bunch up the field unless something really bad occurs to bring out the safety car. And when a safety car comes out, all the teams get upset that their lead is erased. When I watch an F1 race, I like to watch the first 2 laps, change the channel to something else and then come back for the last 2 laps. Everything in-between is usually follow the leader with an occasional position change after pit stops. And they wonder why their TV ratings are down.

[Dr.Brian]

Apparently Mercedes and Ferrari have some sweetheart deals as well regardless of the constructors championship result with guaranteed super payments or something. One of the teams leads was talking about that a few months ago and how it's a disadvantage to all the other teams and gives M and F a significant advantage. I think they were taking about how to try to attract new teams, like Haas, into the sport. It was something they hoped would change with the new management of F1. Though I don't really know much about the business aspect of the sport, only what they were saying. If that's also true, it's clearly an unfair advantage.
It seems like they need more of an Indy style shake up with less emphasis on spending hundreds of millions on custom cars and more on driver skill and some old fashioned luck.
It's also odd to me that the whole competition is about the constructors championship but much of the sponsors are loyal to drivers. That's a strange set up.


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