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Back in Bernie's day I'm sure he used to spend the winter making up daft rumours or suggestions about F1 to generate some sort of interest. You know, stupid stuff that nobody really wants like sprinklers on tracks or changing the whole weekend format for a pointless new sprint race.
Mark Hughes' explanation.
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/mph-the-f1-power-struggle-behind-toto-susie-wolff-double-agent-probe/
thols2
Full MemberMark Hughes’ explanation.> https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/mph-the-f1-power-struggle-behind-toto-susie-wolff-double-agent-probe/ <
Nice article, thanks
Well that
dere-escalated quickly
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mercedes-active-legal-exchange-fia-inquiry-controversy/
So as much as I dislike Max..
He did the awards yesterday and is currently on a charity sim endurance race for mind.
Even donated to one of the streamers.
What chance is there that the ex Sauber team run into ride height problems next year and lose performance? Then we can all say "the Stakes were too high".
I’m looking forward to it as usual, I’m an avid watcher and love the strategy/tactical element.
I just find it frustrating that loads of folk are moaning that Max is winning everything with ease yet most didn’t when Hamilton was doing the same. There is so much partisan support these days, its really hard for folk to sit back and just enjoy it.
I just find it frustrating that loads of folk are moaning that Max is winning everything with ease yet most didn’t when Hamilton was doing the same.
Hamilton had much more competitive teammates. Also, Max is a very difficult person to like, he comes across as very nasty a lot of the time.
As said with Hamilton's dominace there was inter team rivalry with Nico and to a lesser extent Bottas battling each other, along with other teams getting in the mix now and again
With Max there really hasnt been that, he hasnt had a team mate who could push him or another team really mixing it with him since Ricarrdo so hes just been at the front on his own, if anyone got close he just made the gap bigger
Im not a Max fan (prefer Sainz) part of it his his attitude and his driving style i.e forcing his way through and people off track but he has been pretty much flawless in 23 and its not his fault his team mate cant bring the challenge to him same as the other teams need to up thier game
There is so much partisan support these days, its really hard for folk to sit back and just enjoy it.
I think you're missing the whole point of sport if you think "partisan" is wrong/bad! 😄
What chance is there that the ex Sauber team run into ride height problems next year and lose performance?
Conceivably we could have a one-off livery for a blue Stake, a rare Stake in Q3, everyone running hards but the Stakes medium, well done Stake if they get a good result, some other car in a Stake sandwich, a grid whose head is Red Bull and its rump Stake, but hopefully no T-boned Stake. I suspect that’s now probably overdone, I’ll let it rest.
j4mie
I just find it frustrating that loads of folk are moaning that Max is winning everything with ease yet most didn’t when Hamilton was doing the same. There is so much partisan support these days, its really hard for folk to sit back and just enjoy it.
From my point of view, it's not partisan, I simply can't stand the ****. I would probably like him even less if he were British.
I just find it frustrating that loads of folk are moaning that Max is winning everything with ease yet most didn’t when Hamilton was doing the same
Have you talked to any Italians about that?
Just found out Gil de Feran died last Friday. Obviously didn't make the news over here, but I thought you guys might like to know
Obviously didn’t make the news over here
It's been on all* of the motorsport sites and the bbc
*except crash for some reason
https://www.bbc.com/sport/motorsport/67847162
https://www.bbc.com/sport/motorsport/67848628
Seems Gil was a personal friend of Andrew Benson (BBC F1 reporter)
And Mark Hughes (and probably a whole lot more journalists too.)
https://www.the-race.com/indycar/gil-de-ferran-obituary-by-mark-hughes/
I think this eliminates the major candidates to steal the Cadillac engine deal from Andretti. McLaren and Williams have signed deals with Merc and I think everyone else is locked in. Only Hass are left but Gene Hass has apparently rejected attempts by Andretti to buy the team.
https://twitter.com/Motorsport/status/1744362160053010931
Makes sense for them - I don't think they'd have the budget to re-package the car to another make.
Don't they take the whole rear-end too? Suspension and gearbox.
Personally I wish Gene Haas would leave the sport. Season after season of zero progress.
[b]And on another F1 related topic - Ferrari the movie...[/b]
I went to see it on Saturday and it's good, but not great.
The driving scenes don't merit the big screen IMO. And there's one crash where you can clearly see they plonked a dummy in the driving seat!
The close racing scenes were also unrealistic - in the Mille Miglia they would have been separated by minutes - not inches and rubbing bodywork!
Tell me it's better than the rolling car crash of the Lamborghini biopic last year.
Not seen that so can't compare! 🙂
The Ferrari movies is worth a watch, but not worth the 2nd mortgage cost of going to the cinema now.
Rumours of problems at Redbull
Max hasn’t won a race yet this year.
Ferrari the movie…
Is Adam Driver doing his fantastic* Italian accent (last seen in House of Gucci) in this one as well?
*Not fantastic
thols2
Full Member
I think this eliminates the major candidates to steal the Cadillac engine deal from Andretti.
I'd be amazed if they actually come up with an engine at all within the next rules cycle.
Renault will probably quit and they’ll buy their engine. And if Andretti get knocked back by Liberty Media they may try to buy Alpine outright.
I don’t think anyway would be rushing to get a Cadillac engine just yet anyway. They’ve a lot to learn in a short space of time. If they are allowed in as an 11th team Andretti could get away with being a test bed for it as they’d be new themselves so have nothing to lose.
SPOILER - Please look away if you don't want to find out....
In 2024 the World Champion will be - THE GUY WITH THE BEST CAR!
In other news, nobody will be talking about whether Lewis Hamilton was the best driver of all time.
[i]In other news, nobody will be talking about whether Lewis Hamilton was the best driver of all time.[/i]
...but the 2021 season finale will still be mentioned regularly
In 2024 the World Champion will be – THE GUY WITH THE BEST CAR!
Kimi won in 2007 - not in the fastest car! It was a fast car though! 🙂
Weird then that the other driver with the best car struggled so much, huh?
struggled all the way to 2nd in the WDC?
No point arguing about this - the best driver* in the best car usually wins! 🙂
I can only think of Hunt, Kimi and possibly Keke Rosberg who won the championship due to the failure of others who did have the fastest car.
*And Checo is barely a top 10 driver in reality. So 2nd was punching above his weight!
A key Haas employee quit earlier - rumours circulating Steiner has also quit...
https://www.planetf1.com/news/haas-senior-figure-departue-simone-resta
Looking like Steiner might be out at Haas. Their technical director Simone Resta left this morning.
edit ^ah balls, hadn't refreshed the thread!
Perhaps Gene Haas wants them to build a Red Bull on a F2 budget.
They did alright when they first entered and could pick and choose parts from Ferrari's stores. But they've failed to build a team of good engineers since the parts-bin approach was banned.
Steiner's name removed from the Haas website...
....search for his name and you get this too! 🤣
"The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later."
I'm surprised he's stayed that long. It's not fun going to work knowing that it's going to be the same old shit working for an owner who doesn't give a ****. Been there, done that.
struggled all the way to 2nd in the WDC?
Indeed, Checo's detractors always seem to miss this bit.
In a statement, it noted that he will have “a brief to maximise the team’s potential through employee empowerment and structural process and efficiency.”
You'd have to be mad to take that job!
slowoldman
Indeed, Checo’s detractors always seem to miss this bit.
Don't get me wrong, it's not easy to be in the second RB seat (as my username attests 😥) but the RB19 was one of the most dominant cars of all time, and his team mate more-than doubled his points tally.
Komatsu?? They’re digging a right hole for themselves now.
This deserves more recognition 👏
I can only think of Hunt, Kimi and possibly Keke Rosberg who won the championship due to the failure of others who did have the fastest car.
Schumacher's first championship wasn't in the fastest car. Yes, I know there were some dodgy things going on at Benneton, but Schumacher really drove that thing well. I'm pretty sure that Senna would have won the title if he hadn't been killed but Schumacher really was able to win in cars that weren't the best on the grid.
I think the problem with Perez is that the Red Bull is difficult to get the tyres warmed up in qualifying. Newey deliberately prioritized race pace over qualifying pace and the anti-dive suspension makes tyre warm-up tough. Verstappen is much better at getting the tyres warmed up so he could get enough pace out of it in qualifying to be up at the front whereas Perez would get buried in the pack. Ferrari had the opposite problem - quick tyre warm-up, but it destroyed the tyres in the race. Leclerc could put it on pole quite often but there was nothing he could do once Max (and others) got their tyres warmed up.
Haas has said many times that he's happy to just "be in F1" it gives him all the marketing opportunities he needs and his his investment is worth loads more than he paid for it. Keeping the team is all upsides, selling has loads of downsides
Komatsu?? They’re digging a right hole for themselves now.
This deserves more recognition 👏
15hrs late I've just got this joke - sharp as a knife I am! 🤣 🤣
Haas would be better selling the team to Andretti
Yes, I really don't see what Gene Haas is thinking. Surely, selling most of the team to Andretti and renaming it Andretti-Haas, then letting Andretti run it and Cadillac pay the bills would give Haas the marketing that he wants and probably let him make a profit instead of having to pay for it.
I hope I'm wrong, but I suspect Komatsu is going to struggle badly. I think everybody at Haas thought the world of Steiner and I can't see him leaving is going to help. Haas didn't want to invest enough to make the team competitive so there's not really that much that Komatsu can do to move them up the grid now that all their rivals have invested in better facilities.
would give Haas the marketing that he wants and probably let him make a profit instead of having to pay for it.
He has all the marketing now all to himself, he's made a massive profit already, which he doesn't have to share with anyone, and he's not paying for anything anyway - which is why Steiner has left
Decent article below - but it seems Haas can sit at the back of the grid with modest financial input and watch his investment rise and rise. As a business it's golden - for F1 it's terrible...
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/andretti-gm-is-logical-answer-to-confused-haas-existence/
[i]As a business it’s golden – for F1 it’s terrible…[/i]
This is where you need Bernie back. He would change the rules without consultation so Haas has to either pay him shitloads or get their arse in gear and improve. Probably both
Expect Gunther to be back in the paddock before the start of the season with a new book deal. Otherwise would be hilarious to see him as the team principal at Andretti
Another good article from The Race about the Haas situation...
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/gene-haas-mistaken-modern-f1-steiner-firing/
2024 Livery launch for McLaren yesterday - I predict this livery will last 2 races before they announce a new 'special' livery - and then a dozen more special liveries through the season!... 🤣
https://www.racefans.net/2024/01/16/mclaren-present-livery-for-their-2024-f1-car-mcl38/
Yes not much new there.
I guess the biggest thing it shows is they're still struggling to reach the weight limit (given the bare carbon on show).
This is an interesting insight into what it's like being second driver to Max, interview with Albon.
“What ended up happening was, especially during my year, you start off being a little bit behind, but not by much, and then as the season goes on, Max wants this front-end in the car, he wants his car to be sharper, sharper,” the Thai-British racer commented.<br /> <br /> “As it goes sharper and sharper, he goes quicker and quicker, and for you to catch up you have to start taking a little bit more risk. You might be a couple of tenths behind one session, just try a little bit more, ‘OK, I’ve gone off, I’ve had a crash’, and you’ve got to restart.
“Then you’ve lost a little bit of confidence, it takes a little bit more time, that gap is growing a little bit, and the next time you try and go out and do another job, [it’s] another spin or another whatever – it just starts to snowball. Every time the car becomes sharper and sharper, you start to become more tense.
“It’s like any sport, if you start to not be in that flow state, and you’re having to really think about it, and every time you go into a corner, you don’t know how it’s going to react, you don’t have that kind of… It’s purely the confidence in the car, the flow. It doesn’t work, it never works.”
Will you be at Silverstone waving your flag for team Visa CashApp RB!!!???... 🤦♂️ 🤦♂️
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/visa-cashapp-rb-worst-f1-name-red-bull/
Looking forward to seeing you all at the F1 opener in Melbourne.
Missing the first two rounds then!!? 🤣🤣🤣
[i]Looking forward to seeing you all at the F1 opener in Melbourne.
Missing the first two rounds then!!? 🤣🤣🤣[/i]
They will probably be on hold waiting for customer service for the start of the season
Are McLaren sponsored by Hasbro this year then? Simon Says maybe.
Oh joy, another street circuit
[img] 
[/img]
Can't say I'll miss Barcelona though.
simondbarnes
Full MemberOh joy, another street circuit
Looks crap
Also now I have this Monkey Dust sketch stuck in my head...Madrid. Barcelona. Madrid. Barcelona. MADRID. BAR-CEL-OOOO-NA
The last thing the sport needs are more street circuits. At this rate the cars will be designed not to work on a race track
Yep, couldn't agree more. Ok, Barcelona wasn't great, but street tracks are almost unremittingly awful (and i include Monaco in that)
Twodogs
Full MemberYep, couldn’t agree more. Ok, Barcelona wasn’t great, but street tracks are almost unremittingly awful (and i include Monaco in that)
Obviously we need to reserve judgement a little, until the cars get on track.
But it doesn't look very flowy, there are a lot of 90 deg corners.
chrismac
Full MemberThe last thing the sport needs are more street circuits. At this rate the cars will be designed not to work on a race track
That's a very good point, especially as these cars are particularly ill suited to bumpy tracks...
Its just disappointing where they are saying to classic tracks that they need to spend millions to bring them up to standard, inherently dangerous with zero run-off and concreate walls.
I actually quite like Baku and Jedah🤷
Obviously I'd rather see Spa, Monza, Silverstone, Imola but at least Baku and Jedah give interesting races, much better than most of the new circuits
Makes me laugh that F1 says they are heading towards net zero carbon offset yet they keep adding street circuits that need permament buildings built
Then they have to have the circuit's fencing, stands and everything else needed to keep everyone safe built for 3 days before being stripped back down and stored until the following year, think how much machinary, man power and disruption this causes when they could just use the perfectly good circuit thats been built for decades, has all the infrastructure there permanently and can be used all year round by other catagories of racing and track days etc....
Just makes no sense to me! street circuits should be only used in countries where they have no space or demand for a full time circuit
The Montjuic circuit often used in the Vuelta would have been much better.
Makes me laugh that F1 says they are heading towards net zero carbon offset
Makes me laugh that anyone takes the zero carbon offset thing seriously. FFS, there are tens of thousands of fans flying around the world to watch. At the European races, there are hundreds of trucks hauling equipment back and forth from the UK bases to the race circuits, at the fly-away races, all that gear is airfreighted. Honestly, setting up a temporary street circuit is a drop in the bucket compared to the overall carbon footprint of the sport.
Can’t help thinking that “Visa CashApp” rhymes with “squeeze the cost cap”.
Oh, and street circuits are shit. Right angled corners have no place on a race track. Even when the Americans lost the run of themselves and decided that for some reason corners were rubbish, they built ovals instead of rectangles.
It's just depressing the way F1 is going, street circuits , the pantomime continues grrrr.
Lol it's official, Minardi/Torro Rosso/Alpha Tauri is now "Visa Cash App RB"
https://twitter.com/wearetherace/status/1750129356062503169