Formula 1 2015: General Discussion Thread

walshb

Will they ever give over the constant Senna references with Hamilton...

seamusk84

Going Strong wrote: »

I've got a bit of Webber's front wing somewhere at home, a small bit admittedly. From Barcelona 2002 when he went into the barriers at Turn One in free practise driving for Minardi. We were just entering the circuit via the gate by that corner when there was a collective "Ooooh!" from the crowd followed by loud "Thump!" that shook the ground under our feet. After the race on the Sunday, I wandered down the main straight and had a rummage by the tire barrier and found some pieces of carbon fibre that were brand new looking.

Of course, while I was doing my scouring about, I missed a chance to talk to Michael Schumacher who'd come out of the Ferrari garage, came over to the pit wall and signed autographs for the handful of fans who were there.

I was at that race too and was there when Schui came out and did the autographs!

Harika

Rumor Mill is this year not about drivers, but engines. Latest threats from RedBull and a possible dropout of two teams have woken Bernie up and he is now putting pressure on Mercedes to provide them with engines. Even when Mercedes deny that Bernie was involved, the lack of TV on screen time for Lewis and Rosberg was remarkable. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121039 So could this be a soft hint from Bernie to get this option back on the table? Gerhard Berger also indicated that there are still negotiations running between Mercedes and RedBull. Also Toto Wolff came out and claimed the three cars per team option in the case of a RedBull dropout can be very interesting for young drivers. So everyone is playing poker, cause providing RedBull with engines will also bring approx. 40 Million Euro per year into the bank, I think this could also be a factor.
Also rumours say that Renault has bought Lotus just without involvement of Alain Prost, for whatever reasons, and this will be announced this week. http://www.crash.net/f1/news/223474/1/renaultlotus-deal-to-be-announced-next-week.html

mickdw

It was quite funny showing very little mercedes images on tv today.
Toto laughed and couldn't deny that Bernie was behind it. Lauda also.
Its amazing that Bernie still goes about business in this manner and can get away with it.

smellslikeshoes

mickdw wrote: »

It was quite funny showing very little mercedes images on tv today.
Toto laughed and couldn't deny that Bernie was behind it. Lauda also.
Its amazing that Bernie still goes about business in this manner and can get away with it.

I don't get why Bernie is getting the blame for this. There was feck all going on at the front, do people actually want to watch Hamilton coasting around with nobody anywhere near him? It wasn't just Mercedes either, there was very little shown of the top 6 as a whole because for most of the race there wasn't anything going on up there.

If the race director hadn't focused on the midfield what little excitement there was in that race would have been missed.

Harika

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

I don't get why Bernie is getting the blame for this. There was feck all going on at the front, do people actually want to watch Hamilton coasting around with nobody anywhere near him? It wasn't just Mercedes either, there was very little shown of the top 6 as a whole because for most of the race there wasn't anything going on up there.

If the race director hadn't focused on the midfield what little excitement there was in that race would have been missed.

Usually you get to see quite some time when people are in front, even by miles without any action, simply to honor their performance. Rosberg was following Vettel some time and I cannot remember to see a lot of that.

Harika

Now it is official, Renault signed a letter of intent to buy Lotus: https://www.facebook.com/DieHardF1Fan/photos/a.105786456155074.8165.102855529781500/937241609676217/?type=3&theater

Infoanon

Harika wrote: »

Now it is official, Renault signed a letter of intent to buy Lotus: https://www.facebook.com/DieHardF1Fan/photos/a.105786456155074.8165.102855529781500/937241609676217/?type=3&theater

Lotus goes into administration this week unless the HMRC bill is paid - its believed the 'offer' or the 'option' includes paying the HMRC but thats all ie they are buying time

smellslikeshoes

Infoanon wrote: »

Lotus goes into administration this week unless the HMRC bill is paid - its believed the 'offer' or the 'option' includes paying the HMRC but thats all ie they are buying time

I bet there is some serious skeletons in that closet, I don't blame them for taking their time with it.

smellslikeshoes

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

I don't get why Bernie is getting the blame for this. There was feck all going on at the front, do people actually want to watch Hamilton coasting around with nobody anywhere near him? It wasn't just Mercedes either, there was very little shown of the top 6 as a whole because for most of the race there wasn't anything going on up there.

If the race director hadn't focused on the midfield what little excitement there was in that race would have been missed.

In fairness it was a complete and utter lack of coverage, even moreso than usual for a procession at the front. Was it last year in Spa similar happened with Force India because one of the heads had done something apparently objectionable so they didn't appear onscreen all weekend. They made it into Q3 without having been shown on screen a single time. Childish stuff really but it happens.

Zcott

Not sure if it's been mentioned but Alonso and Button are staying at McLaren next year. Ron Dennis said on 5 Live that the option on Button's contract was an option to terminate the contract, which they opted not to do. Alonso is on a three year deal.

Myrddin

Zcott wrote: »

Not sure if it's been mentioned but Alonso and Button are staying at McLaren next year. Ron Dennis said on 5 Live that the option on Button's contract was an option to terminate the contract, which they opted not to do. Alonso is on a three year deal.

I'd imagine there are performance clauses in both contracts though. Button said he wants his decision to quit to be his own (which hints toward retirement instead of repeating another year at the back), and Alonso could opt to do similar/race elsewhere. It's hard to imagine Alonso not being there next year, getting harder & harder to see Button stay on though

Terrontress

Harika wrote: »

Now it is official, Renault signed a letter of intent to buy Lotus: https://www.facebook.com/DieHardF1Fan/photos/a.105786456155074.8165.102855529781500/937241609676217/?type=3&theater

Could Renault get caught up in the diesel scandal and lead them to back away from this?

Harika

Terrontress wrote: »

Could Renault get caught up in the diesel scandal and lead them to back away from this?

I found this on BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34324772

Are other carmakers implicated?
That's for the various regulatory and government inquiries to determine. California's Air Resources Board is now looking into other manufacturers' testing results. Ford, BMW, and Renault-Nissan said they did not use "defeat devices", while other firms had yet to respond or simply stated that they complied with the laws.
The UK trade body for the car industry, the SMMT, said: "The EU operates a fundamentally different system to the US - with all European tests performed in strict conditions as required by EU law and witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency."
But it added: "The industry acknowledges that the current test method is outdated and is seeking agreement from the European Commission for a new emissions test that embraces new testing technologies and is more representative of on-road conditions."

While Renault possibly did not cheat, there will be a shake up in the Diesel Car Industry as regulations will tighten and consumers will shy away from Diesels, this will hit Renault hard as they equip 60% of their cars with Diesels. So this might affect the team in the longer team.
But I also read that Renault wants to establish the F1 Team on more stable financial grounds so rely on pay drivers, sponsors and FOM payment to hold itself up without too much contribution from the PSA itself.

HighLine

I wonder if the whole VW situation and now Ferrari saying they would only supply 2015 engines to RedBull will make their quit threats a reality? They should be working on next year's car by now but they don't even have an engine.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red-bull-engine-situation-now-critical/

flazio

So, should Marko take Red Bull and Toro Rossa out of Formula 1, what do we think will happen to Riccardo, Kyvat, Verstappen and Sainz? I can't imagine Bernie being best pleased about 4 of the most entertaining drivers these past couple of years being forced out of the sport.

Myrddin

Hard to say really, it could be all a grand game of poker, or perhaps the situation is indeed 'critical' as Horner said. Obviously it's critical in the sense that the first race of 2016 is only about six months away and they'll be well behind in terms of design for next years car..but perhaps 'critical' is a slight exaggeration, you'd have to imagine even with a 2015 Ferrari engine, the next Red Bull car would be very competitive; certainly compared to where they are currently.

HighLine

And comments like this are not going to help RB's future negotiations..

In an interview with German publication Auto Motor Und Sport on Monday, Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko made clear his feelings about the situation.

"They are playing games with us," said Marko. "But we don't want to play along.

"Our consideration to pull out is fuelled more and more.

"It is a cheek to offer us 2015-spec engines when, at the same time, Sauber and Haas F1 are going to get 2016-spec engines."

Myrddin

After all's said & done, it's RB who need an engine supplier...Ferrari or Merc certainly don't need them as customers so you'd think they'd be eating humble pie for another year at least. This shouty angry attitude won't endear them to any potential partner.

Vic_08

HighLine wrote: »

And comments like this are not going to help RB's future negotiations..


"It is a cheek to offer us 2015-spec engines when, at the same time, Sauber and Haas F1 are going to get 2016-spec engines."

It is not an unreasonable point, what Ferrari are offering would guarantee that they would not be a title challenger next year. Red Bull are clearly not interested in that; they could just stick with Renault if the wanted to run around in midfield positions.

While the 2015 engine might not be that far off the pace at the beginning of 2016 by the end of the year they would be dropping back as the 2016 gets developed, just look at the gap between Hamilton and Rosberg at Monza with Hamilton on the newer Merc engine.

Myrddin wrote: »

After all's said & done, it's RB who need an engine supplier...Ferrari or Merc certainly don't need them as customers so you'd think they'd be eating humble pie for another year at least. This shouty angry attitude won't endear them to any potential partner.

Point is Mateschitz doesn't need to be in F1 at all, he is obviously unwilling to fund RB to be also-rans for another few years. While I am no fan of RB it is not an entirely unreasonable position. Merc and Ferrari are happy to supply other teams, just not ones they know have a car good enough to beat them.

The 2014 and 2015 (at least after the initial problems were sorted) were both very good cars and would have been right up with Mercedes if they had a competitive engine, I reckon that even with a customer-spec Merc engine they would have been a serious threat.

They are obviously playing a game of chicken with Bernie/FOM so he can use his influence to force Ferrari (or Merc) to give RB the engine they need.

Going Strong

The problem Red Bull have is that the rest of the F1 paddock have long memories. Horner et al were suspected of 'spying' on the other teams during their FOTA days and reporting everything back to Bernie so he could do his usual "Divide and rule" tactics. That and their hubris when they were the team to beat. Undoubtedly, F1 is doing the usual "Destroy the opposition" dance and will happily let two points-grabbing teams in Red Bull and Torro Rosso leave F1 thinking that this makes for more 'cake' for those still left on the grid. It'll mean a smaller grid, less viewers, less sponsorship money and ultimately, no F1 but, hey, that's for the near future to worry about.

Harika

James Allen tipps Viry Chatillon as Team Boss. http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/09/meet-the-man-tipped-to-lead-new-renault-f1-team-when-france-calls/ He is the team principal of ART at the moment and under his hands following youngsters have driven for him.

ART GP graduate drivers
Nico Rosberg – 2005 GP2 champion
Lewis Hamilton – 2006 GP2 Champion
Sebastian Vettel – Runner up Euro F3 championship 2006
Paul di Resta – 2006 Euro F3 Champion
Nico Hulkenberg – 2007 Euro F3 champion & 2008 GP2 Champion
Jules Bianchi – 2009 Euro F3 champion
Esteban Gutierrez – 2010 GP3 champion
Valtteri Bottas – 2011 GP3 champion
Pastor Maldonado (contracted to Lotus/Renault F1 team for 2016)
Sebastien Buemi
Kamui Kobayashi
Giedo van der Garde

Impressive person.

Frank Bullitt

Also a few mentions over the weekend of upping the tokens for engines from 25 to 32.

AMKC

Harika wrote: »

I found this on BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34324772



While Renault possibly did not cheat, there will be a shake up in the Diesel Car Industry as regulations will tighten and consumers will shy away from Diesels, this will hit Renault hard as they equip 60% of their cars with Diesels. So this might affect the team in the longer team.
But I also read that Renault wants to establish the F1 Team on more stable financial grounds so rely on pay drivers, sponsors and FOM payment to hold itself up without too much contribution from the PSA itself.

Renault are not part of PSA. PSA is Peugeot and Citroen.

Frank Bullitt

This popped up in my youtube suggestions.

Listen...just, just listen.

Cookie_Monster

Are Manor not going to be around next year? No talking of anyone supplying them engines and not listed for 2016 season on wiki

Frank Bullitt

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Are Manor not going to be around next year? No talking of anyone supplying them engines and not listed for 2016 season on wiki

Last I heard they were getting Merc engines but haven't heard anything in a while.

Ghost Train

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Are Manor not going to be around next year? No talking of anyone supplying them engines and not listed for 2016 season on wiki

Yes they're getting Mercedes engines next year. When it became clear Lotus wouldn't be using Mercedes engines Redbull started talks with Mercedes. But they were a bit demanding when they first sat down to talk, Manor came along and got the engine deal instead which quickly ended the chance of Redbull getting them

F1 fanatic

Sauber and Force India taking case to EU.....

Formula One's system of governance and allocation of prize money is set to be investigated by the European Union following official complaints lodged by Force India and Sauber.

http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/13768555/f1-set-european-union-anti-competition-investigation

recyclebin

This will open a big can of worms for Bernie. He's being getting away with dodgy deals for far too long.

El_Duderino 09

F1 fanatic wrote:

Sauber and Force India taking case to EU.....

Formula One's system of governance and allocation of prize money is set to be investigated by the European Union following official complaints lodged by Force India and Sauber.

Interesting that it's teams who are customers of both Mercedes and Ferrari. Bernie will get his way as usual but it will need to be dealt with by the next person in charge.

The prize money is one of the crazy issues that create an uneven playing field and an unpredictable environment for new investment in the sport. Together with Mercedes being almost blacklisted on race day, who knows what they can expect for their investment.

Incidentally I wonder would F1 survive if it didn't have a dictator in charge. Presumably when he is replaced, the new p son won't have anything like the same role in running the commercial and sporting side of F1. Would his roles be broken up or would there be a new Bernie?

Andrew76

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Presumably when he is replaced, the new p son won't have anything like the same role in running the commercial and sporting side of F1. Would his roles be broken up or would there be a new Bernie?

If I was a betting man I'd say we'll get a Bernie v2 - surely his bosses and himself would want his successor to be just like him - retain as much control as possible and rake in as much money as possible for CVC or whatever the owners are called.

Myrddin

Gintonious wrote: »

Listen...just, just listen.

Amazing. If sound could travel in a vacuum, I imagine that's what a supernova would sound like Unfortunately, the cars today sound so much more, down to earth.

F1 fanatic wrote: »

Sauber and Force India taking case to EU.....

Formula One's system of governance and allocation of prize money is set to be investigated by the European Union following official complaints lodged by Force India and Sauber.

http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/13768555/f1-set-european-union-anti-competition-investigation

Beginning of the end for Bernie?

Harika

Romain Grosjean has just been confirmed for Haas. Surprisingly no second driver announcement yet.

Zcott

Harika wrote: »

Romain Grosjean has just been confirmed for Haas. Surprisingly no second driver announcement yet.

Probably Gutierrez.

recyclebin

Just read that the Britsh GP is under threat for next year as they are a year behind in payments to King Bernie.

He really is a parasite, sucking up extortionate fees and giving nothing back to the sport except crap tracks in countries with no history in racing. He gives them of a couple grand prixs and then moves onto the next schmucks who will pay for another giant elephant.


He is as bad as blatter, if not worse

PopePalpatine

I've just realised, Bernie Ecclestone is sport's Martin Shkreli.

Going Strong

Ah here.

Pirelli's future in Formula 1 in doubt if Red Bull walks away

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121088

Is there anyone who wants to be in F1 at all?

Frank Bullitt

Why the hell do we bother lads?

Harika

Gintonious wrote: »

Why the hell do we bother lads?

The alternative would be talking with my wife. :rolleyes:
I like to see it going forward, it is basically coronation street for men. :cool:

Pirelli getting screwed for doing what they were asked to do. :rolleyes:

Myrddin

Harika wrote: »

it is basically coronation street for men. :cool:

Ah c'mon now, give us some credit. If Susie Wolf had an affair with Christian Horner, who a few years ago murdered Ron Dennis's cousin, and they had a baby who Niki Lauda claimed was his...but couldn't be because his ex Carmen Jorda let out he was infertile...because when she was going out with Kimi she had an affair with Lauda...then, it would be Coronation Street for men.

El_Duderino 09

Deleted User wrote:

Pirelli getting screwed for doing what they were asked to do.

I remember when tyres were bullet proof and could last an entire race. This came to a head when Vettel did an entire race on a set of hards and only came in for his mandatory tyre change on the last lap. Pirelli were asked to make tyres which would go off and create exciting racing. Paul Hembry was interviewed every weekend and praised while he said something along the lines of 'well we were given a mandate to produce less durable tyres to...'. Now they are the worst in the world and their answer will be exactly the same.

Except for the tyre failures, they have done what was asked of them. Some of those tyre failures were because teams were switching lefts and rights and messing about with pressures but they still probably shouldn't have happened.

It smacks of a football team owner sacking the manager to distract the punters and show that they are doing something.

Frank Bullitt

Harika wrote: »

The alternative would be talking with my wife. :rolleyes:
I like to see it going forward, it is basically coronation street for men. :cool:

My alternative is riding my Ducati like its on fire, it sounds waaaaaaaaaaay better than F1.

Frank Bullitt

Saw this posted on the autopsist forum.

Wins (out of 142 races):

57 - Renault - 40%
44 - Mercedes - 31%
39 - Ferrari - 27%
1 - Honda - 1%
1 - BMW - 1%

And in the turbo era out of 33 races so far:

27 - Mercedes - 82%
3 - Ferrari - 9%
3 - Renault - 9%

The token system being used right now isn't working, and I would suspect that the figure above to continue in that same way for quite a while.

El_Duderino 09

Max Verstappen passed his driving test today as he turned 18. The article mentined that he would now be allowed to drink the champagne if he ever makes it on the podium. It's so strange that he would be allowed to drive a Torro Rosso but not allowed to drink the champagne if he drove it particularly well.

HighLine

Just reading this makes me annoyed. They introduce this pathetic engine which they know will increase costs for all the teams and which will obviously sound like sh*t and now they will spend the next 10 years trying to increase noise and costs.

https://twitter.com/adamcooperF1/status/649284579724034048
https://twitter.com/adamcooperF1/status/649284638649774080

flazio

Myrddin wrote: »

Ah c'mon now, give us some credit. If Susie Wolf had an affair with Christian Horner, who a few years ago murdered Ron Dennis's cousin, and they had a baby who Niki Lauda claimed was his...but couldn't be because his ex Carmen Jorda let out he was infertile...because when she was going out with Kimi she had an affair with Lauda...then, it would be Coronation Street for men.

I'm waiting to see how they are going to write the Lewis/Rihanna storyline. The Lewis/Nicole story should have won soap awards.

SamAK

Revised calender and rules clarifications :

http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2015/9/f1-2016-calendar-revised-cars-louder.html

Anyone else sick of the finale being in Abu Dhabi? Would much prefer last race to be in Brazil.

Smacks of Bernie pandering to his oil-soaked chums in the Middle East.

Frank Bullitt

"improving emissions" should NEVER be associated with F1, ever.

Honestly, the FIA is run by a shower of **** who couldn't run a bath. Absolute joke.