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Pretty much all of the teams will launch their 2013 cars in the next week, starting with Lotus this evening.
Hopefully not as many 'ugly bugs' this season.
I can't wait for the posturing to begin 🙂
I have a bad feeling about Force India this season, I reckon there's a reasonable chance that they wont make it through till November, or even the season opener in March if some of the pundits are to be believed.
Vettel will make it four in a row.
You heard it here first
Wow - you're going out on a limb there richmtb! 😀
I'm looking forward to Lotus's/Renault's/Benetton's/Toleman's (delete as appropriate!) launch tonight and the live feed falling over as is normal for F1 web launches!
Hopefully not as many 'ugly bugs' this season.
Pretty sure the FIA banned those ugly stepped noses. They can have them but have to put some sort of cowling over the ugly bit.
Pretty sure the FIA banned those ugly stepped noses.
I don't think they're banned - as you say they are allowed to put a 'modesty' cover over it though to make them look prettier!
richmtb - Member
Vettel will make it four in a row.
.
I'm going to guess Button, best chance he's had for a while. McClaren were fast at the end of last year and there have been no big shake-ups to the car. He is in the nice position being number 1 in his team. Just need McClaren to sort reliability issues.
.
I also think Massa will win more than one race this year, he's getting his form back (it was a recently as Malaysia 2010 that he lead the championship, if only he hadn't had his accident)
I think Lewis and Rosberg may spring a few surprises. But for this year, I think Fernando and his Ferrari will take the biggest prizes.
Predicting Vettel is hardly sticking my neck out I know but its hard to see past him.
It would be good to see Button do well. The 2012 McLaren was indeed quick but he will need to sort out his pace in qualifying if he wants to be a serious contender - Button has only had one pole in the entire time he has driven for McLaren.
Hamilton will be nowhere
Alonso will be driving another disappointing car.
If you want a good outside bet for the championship then I would go with Kimi. He is fast and if Lotus improve on last year he could be a contender.
Button has only had one pole in the entire time he has driven for McLaren
So what? He's managed to win pretty often and if he wants to set the car up for the long game rather than 1 lap then it seems to work for him.
My predicitons!...
Alonso will win championship
Vettel second
Kimi third
Hamilton will win a race or two
Button and Webber won't be happy with their car set-ups and will have baffled looks on their faces when they finish 45 seconds behind their team mates!
Outside bet for championship - Perez
So what?
Around 50% of races are won by the pole sitter.
That's So what.
Also qualifying further up the grid tends to keep you clear of first lap incidents
Jenson won three races last year and finished 5th in the championship. He has openly admitted he has to "do better on a Saturday" to have a realistic chance of winning the championship
So what? He's managed to win pretty often and if he wants to set the car up for the long game rather than 1 lap then it seems to work for him.
3 seasons, same car, same races
Hamilton 657 points
Button 672 points
Hamilton is undoubtedly a quicker driver most of the time but he's not as consistent as Button
McLaren i think will be better off from focusing on a number 1 driver much like all the other teams, (yeah i'm talking about Red Bull too, even though they try and not show it, by the mid season it was obvious even though they all denied it), unlike last year where they went the wrong way for Button but it was the right way for Hamilton - IMHO, Buttons "form" returned when it was probably known internally that Hamilton was not going to re-sign for this year, a shift of focus towards Button perhaps.
If Ferrari can produce a fast car from the start, they are taking it as Alonso is driving the best he ever has if last season is anything to go by.
one thing is for sure, for some reason last season i started to not like F1 as much as i once did, and i wont be tuning in for every race. perhaps its the BBCs coverage that just annoys me far too much.
oh please can we not turn this into another stat fest! If Hamilton is Mr accident prone/inconsistent/immature than why is he only 15 points behind Button. The reverse applies as well ie if Button is slower/not quick enough on sat etc etc!
I read a good article a few weeks ago about Button/Lewis at McLaren
Hamilton v Button stats compared (highest respective tally in bold)
Qualifying
Faster qualifying time: Hamilton 44 / Button 14
Poles: Hamilton 9 / Button 1
Front rows: Hamilton: 23 / Button 9
Races
Wins: Hamilton 10 / Button 8
Podiums: Hamilton 22 / Button 25
Points finishes: Hamilton 45 / Button 47
DNFs: Hamilton 13 / Button 8
Best race result (inc DNFs): Hamilton 32 / Button 26
Ahead in two-car finish: Hamilton 24 / Button 13
Championship
Overall points: Hamilton 657 / Button 672
Seasons finished higher in standings: Hamilton 2 / Button 1
Highest championship placing: Hamilton 4th (2010, 2012) / Button 2nd (2011)
oh please can we not turn this into another stat fest!
he says............. followed by...... a load of stats 🙂
Hamilton/Button remind me a little of Senna/Prost. Two very good, but very different, drivers. One clearly faster on natural talent and racing instinct, but the other can win just as much by using his head.
For what it's worth, which isn't much...
Alonso v Vettel all over again; Alonso to get his third title. Button will get in the way now and then when his car works OK, third when the year ends. Or tenth if the tyre pressures are a few psi out now and then. Hami will be right there with Kimi to add a bit of racing spice, both of them finishing roughly equal fourth or fifth year end. They will do the best soundbites all year. Webber will fizz away on the sidelines looking all gruff and manly but won't really do much else. He's kind of like those pensioners who get confused now and then in supermarkets; knows why he's there but sometimes can't see the apples for the pears. Some other drivers will win the odd race, but nobody would have heard of them before or after. Suzi will show her bottom quite a lot. I will watch a few races, and fall asleep each time, waking up to find the kids have drawn willies on my face in marker pen.
Mclaren will be no where as Button has got what it takes to be a winner unless given a massively superior car. Given that's unlikely he will be a consistent point scorer with the odd podium and maybe a win if he's lucky. It will be interesting to see how Lewis gets on in a non mclaren team.
Fantastic self-contradiction there, mashiehood. The post you were railing against said that speed vs consistency was such that they came out about even over 3 years. You then complain that this is mere statistics, and then produce reams of statistics to prove what the earlier post was saying to start with!
JB would be a good bet, because his odds are quite long and McLaren are just as likely as any of the top 3 to have the best car. He has come in from 11-1 to 8-1 over the past week or so - so quite a few people appear to be having a bet on him.
Having said that, Alonso is my favourite. I don't think Ferrari will fail again.
Chrismac - so presumably JB's car was "massively superior" when he equaled LH's results over 3 years?
Button's problem was getting heat into the fronts, same for Webber I think too. The more aggressive hard-brake/point-and-shoot drivers like Hamilton were better off last year for this reason. The tyres are slightly different this year - they may or may not improve the results for the smoother drivers.
Having said that, Alonso is my favourite. I don't think Ferrari will fail again.
It really does all pivot on what comes out of Maranello, no top car is likely to be massively faster than the others so all he'll need is some sort of parity
People in the industry must laugh their socks off when reading these threads.
Imagine racing car drivers spouting off about mountain biking 🙂
Having said that, Im looking forward to the season.
hands up! massive contradiction im my post! I get the feeling Alonso will take it. He is a superb drive (and im a Hamilton/Raikonen/Di Resta fan!)
Now I [i]can[/i] agree with you! I know there are always ifs and buts, but (!) I think FA deserved it last year.
I worked in motor racing for years. Everyone talks like this at this time of year, not just [s]it managers[/s] mountain bikers 😀
Alonso
Vettel
Kimi
Hamilton
Lotus site crashed for anyone else?
What is the 'F1' you speak of?
[url= http://www.wrc.com/ ]This proper F1?[/url]
Lotus site crashed for anyone else?
Lotus site is down, but the launch was on YouTube.
You didn't miss much - it looked like it was last years car with added red bits!
Handsome
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Given all that red, points to the Honeywell sponsorship still possible, I hope so
And now McLaren
jota - Video is Private...shame
it was working ???
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Vid played for me.
matt_outandabout - Member
What is the 'F1' you speak of?
This proper F1?
Hmm... 9 consecutive championships. That's more suspicious than Lance was.
No mention of the F138?
Despite still not quite forgiving Ferrari for the Schumacher era, I have to admit, this looks good - nice to see McL and Ferrari both taking up the vanity panel option. And the black lower sections look good (and I guess have the bonus of making features harder to photograph...)
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/02/01/ferrari-f138-launch-pictures/
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Lol-ing at being miffed at Ferrari and Schumacher for being too good.
New Ferrari does it for me - nice car!
McL didn't have the nasal step last year. The only one iirc.
No but they do have it this year, hidden under the panel.
"Lol-ing at being miffed at Ferrari and Schumacher for being too good."
Not what I was miffed about but that's a separate subject and well discussed previously...
Ferrari looks ok until you see the hhuuugggeee uprights for the front wing!
Thats a nice looking Ferrari! I'd like to see the McLaren shinier, you know the mirror silver of recent times... 😉
I think.......
Alonso to win the championship, but Vettel scrapping hard and Kimi getting the boot in aswell. I'd like to say Button for the championship, but he has to sort his Saturdays out- hope he can do it!
Supposedly the Pirellis this year will have a wider operating temperature but also more wear which in theory (!) would suit Button in getting a decent qualifying and more consistent race performance.
Let's hope for another year where RB, Ferrari, McL and Lotus all produce closely performing cars so that the drivers can really fight it out. (and ideally Merc but I can't see them being consistently up there just yet).
There a bit of speculation that Ferrari may be exploiting this loophole (as the nose seems higher than the others) - [b]From ScarbsF1[/b]...
One means to circumvent the 2012\2013 nose rules is to use the fairing in a more aggressive way. The nose structure that forms the crash protection must not be higher than 550mm above the floor. However more airflow could be forced under the car for more downforce if the nose were higher. As the fairing is allowed to be as high as 625mm, this could form a new nose tip 75mm higher than the rules intended. With a shorter structure nose cone, the modesty fairing could instead be shaped to form a very high nose for better aerodynamic performance. This is likely to be viewed as marginal on the rules, but the rules do not preclude it.
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http://scarbsf1.com/blog1/2013/01/30/analysis-2013-f1-rules-and-trends/
I did wonder that when I saw the pic - the nose does look quite flat although it's clearly dropped towards the very front.
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I'd like to see the McLaren shinier
Hang on, iv'e seen more pics- the magpie in me is happy now 😉
I think McL have agreed with Merc that McL will be shiny/bright silver while Merc is more matt - I guess that that works historically as the story is that the silver Merc colour originally came from a time when they stripped all the paint off their cars to save weight leaving aluminium which would be dull silver.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Arrows
Weight storyA story exists that the origin of the Silver Arrows was accidental. The international governing body of motor sport prescribed for 1934 onwards a maximum weight limit of 750 kilograms for Grand Prix racing cars, excluding tyres and fuel. It is said that when in spring 1934 the Mercedes-Benz team placed its new Mercedes-Benz W25 on the scrutineering scales prior to the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring, it allegedly recorded 751 kg (1,656 lb). Racing manager Alfred Neubauer and his driver Manfred von Brauchitsch, who both later published their memoires, claimed that they had the idea of scraping all the white paint from the bodywork. The story continues that the next day the shining silver aluminium beneath was exposed and scrutineering was passed. After the 350 hp (260 kW) car of v. Brauchitsch won the race, the nickname Silver Arrow was born, according to the legend.
[edit] Weight story disputed
This story did not appear until Alfred Neubauer's biography was published in 1958, and no reference to it has been found in contemporary sources. It since has been established that von Brauchitsch in 1932 had raced a streamlined SSKL on the AVUS which was called Silver Arrow in live radio coverage. Also, in 1934, both Mercedes and Auto Union had entered the Avusrennen, but the Mercedes cars were not able to start, and Auto Union did not succeed either. The next big event was the Eifelrennen, but as few cars complying to the new rules were ready, it was held for Formule Libre, so weight was no issue at that time.[1]
I've just done a quick side on comparison in photoshop and the Ferrari seems to be a good few cm higher at the front than the Mclaren.
The Force India too - nice to see another vanity panel (as I wasn't expecting many this year)
http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/force-india-vjm06-revealed-at-silverstone/
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So will the RB have one? I can't see it unless Adrian Newey can find a performance advantage - as suggested by scarbs for example.
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Suzi will show her bottom quite a lot. I will watch a few races, and fall asleep each time, waking up to find the kids have drawn willies on my face in marker pen.
I lol'd at that! Very funny. 😆
Re this vanity panel - it comes off during the race but is there for the photo's - is that right?
Re this vanity panel - it comes off during the race but is there for the photo's - is that right?
Not that I'm aware of
The reason Lotus gave for not using one was weight and see the piece above from ScarbsF1
it's to make the cars look better. it's not allowed to be structural so in a crash, it'll just fly off. So it will be on the car in the race.
basically the designers want the chassis high to allow air under while the rules dictate a Max height forward of the wheels to try and avoid drivers being hit by another car's nose in a crash, hence the stepped noses. the vanity panels are over that Max height but because they're not structural, they shouldn't cause injury.
New Sauber looks pretty tasty - and those side pods are very narrow. Look at the gap between the front edge of the side pods and the sticky-up aero bits* - space for mini winglets in there perhaps...
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http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/02/02/sauber-c32-launch-pictures/
(*official technical terminology!)
Hope Kimi Räikkönen kick their backsides this year ...
Has someone polished the tyres on that Sauber?! 🙂
The Ferrari's always look overly fussy to me. Don't know if it's the aero bits or the livery, but a lot of the other cars appear a lot 'cleaner'.
Purple no less
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webber smiles as he collects yet another pension cheque from red bull 😉
Not many photos of the new Merc yet
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I feel quite sorry for Lewis - not only will he be racing in the mid-field this year - it now looks like he'll have to use a Blackberry as well!
Horrendous looking nose on the W04...no vanity panel there and pretty ugly overall.
Nose looks a bit like this one:
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There is a vanity panel on the merc. it was so ugly before though that it still looks minging.
There is a vanity panel - otherwise would be an abrupt step like last year. I think Merc have taken the regulation at face value a bit, whereas Ferrari have pushed to the limit and used the vanity panel for aerodynamic effect. As have Sauber.
So far I ave noticed:
- McLaren late on parade with a high chassis and have gone pullrod at the same time… will be bit of a learning curve, plus the back of that car is not as svelte as some others.
- Ferrari looks fabulous to my eyes.
- Red Bull ditto, but with even more extreme/absent gearbox - they are hiding something.
- Merc - meh.
- Sauber - looks pretty slim.
Testing tomorrow, plus more new cars. How sad am I? Love it.
Reading between the lines, Lewis thinks the car is sh1te.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula-one/21322248
Mercedes on fire ... not a promising start:
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They've pretty much lost the whole day, only 11 laps done
That's a lot of setup work lost.
Reading between the lines, Lewis thinks the car is sh1te.
I saw the full interview and you don't even have to read between the lines sadly. It sounds like hes driving something from a different planet. Not good. 🙁
They're not really going to know where the car is until they get to Barcelona
Did Jenson ever get back out? Mclaren can't be happy with today either.
Yeah, Button is back out for the PM
If you're as sad as me 🙂
http://live.autosport.com/commentary.php/id/549
They're not really going to know where the car is until they get to Barcelona
I would hope they can keep track of it, they don't want to be hanging around at Barcelona airport wondering where it's got to!
If Schu with all his experience and (old) talent couldn't make it better then its looking dire for LH. He could drive a dog of a McLaren but a dog of a Merc will be like driving a re-painted Force India.
Button ended up fastest on an 18.8
Way faster than anyone else and way faster than last year's day one chart topper.
It was also faster than the day 4 best time from last year.
could mean absolutely nothing though 🙂
Doesn't mean anything- wait until tomorrow..
liking Kimis mock wheel with a Mute button...bit of humour never goes a miss
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😆
nobody signed the concorde agreement yet.....