Formula 1

[charlierc]

On 9/21/2022 at 7:20 PM, Ozanne said:

That is so stacked. Too many tbh, cut away some of the street races. 

I'm aware they've always had a balancing act given even more places than this 24 want to host races. Hell you probably could make a decent 17 race season out of places that could host F1 races not on this calendar.

Personally I'd be on board with rotating circuits - say, Barcelona one year and Portugal the next. I also think 3 Middle East races and 2 US races would be enough, rather than a combined 7 from these regions.

I'm also not a fan of Monaco so I'm a bit cold on news it will be sticking around until 2025 that was also announced yesterday, although this year's was pretty good by its low standards.

[DareToDibble]

Monaco is unlikely to leave the calendar in my opinion. Despite the fact it is pretty much always a completely dull race for fans, the drivers and teams love it.

Definitely feels like there are too many street circuits on the calendar.

[Ozanne]

Do we need 2 street races in the US!?

[charlierc]

27 minutes ago, DareToDibble said:

Monaco is unlikely to leave the calendar in my opinion. Despite the fact it is pretty much always a completely dull race for fans, the drivers and teams love it.

Definitely feels like there are too many street circuits on the calendar.

Monaco as an experience to drive still looks great, particularly as it's still the same as it looked in the 80s but with cars that are so much quicker and wider. It feels like it's more of a challenge now than it was 40-50 years ago and even then, that was still quite the challenge. But the racing itself needs more. Much as I'm aware you can't exactly just widen the track.

I don't mind the odd street track for variety - I'm looking forward to Singapore's return next weekend tbf for one. It does seem as though, since the failure of bespoke tracks in India and South Korea to last more than 3/4 years, people no longer wanna commit to the expense of building a new race circuit and would rather just build street circuits, but having a load in a row or in near succession just feels like it's not as fun.

[charlierc]

26 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Do we need 2 street races in the US!?

I'd say if you're gonna do a 3rd US race, at least do it in a northern stage. Nevada, Texas and Florida just means a sun belt trilogy.

The Las Vegas race being at 10pm local time on a Saturday night (6am UK) in November is strikingly odd. As is talk of there being $10,000+ ticket prices for hotel and race ticket package deals.

[Ozanne]

3 minutes ago, charlierc said:

I'd say if you're gonna do a 3rd US race, at least do it in a northern stage. Nevada, Texas and Florida just means a sun belt trilogy.

The Las Vegas race being at 10pm local time on a Saturday night (6am UK) in November is strikingly odd. As is talk of there being $10,000+ ticket prices for hotel and race ticket package deals.

There must be so many good race circuits in the US, they should look at doing a race there rather than Vegas. 

[charlierc]

22 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

There must be so many good race circuits in the US, they should look at doing a race there rather than Vegas. 

I actually would rather have had Vegas than Miami. Even if it's a dull one, getting a Grand Prix circuit on the Las Vegas strip is a pretty big coup whereas Miami's was just going around an NFL stadium car park.

Even if IndyCar is also adding loads of street tracks, there's still quite a few tracks that would make for decent F1 venues to visit in the USA.

[DareToDibble]

11 hours ago, Barry Fish said:

I love Monaco. .  Its one race and a unique challenge    Most F1 fans love it.

Hmmm, I’m not so sure. I completely understand the heritage and beauty of the circuit but the race itself always seems be be complained about. The race is basically no overtakes for 90 minutes with the only drama coming from undercuts or Ferrari being hilariously shit with strategy.

[DareToDibble]

I absolutely love the technology and strategy in F1, and absolutely get the spectacle of Monaco. It’s probably the track that tests the drivers most too. As you say, 1 little error and it’s potentially weekend over.

I can say that but also think the race itself is boring. I’m addicted to and love the sport so will watch it anyway but I’m sure there’s been something like 3 overtakes on track in 5 races.

Having said that, there are other tracks I would definitely get rid off before Monaco. 

Edited September 24, 2022 by DareToDibble

[Ozanne]

Monaco is the worst race on the calendar by a long distance. It offers no racing and is just a precession. They should get rid of it. 

[DareToDibble]

Can’t remember where I saw those figures. All I can find now is that the race averages 10 overtakes but that figure includes overtakes in the pits, where fair enough strategy is key. But things like this show how impossible it now seems to overtake there:

“In 2018 Ricciardo managed to block off a Sebastian Vettel overtake for the win despite losing a quarter of his engine power for 50 laps of the race.”

[Ozanne]

54 minutes ago, DareToDibble said:

Can’t remember where I saw those figures. All I can find now is that the race averages 10 overtakes but that figure includes overtakes in the pits, where fair enough strategy is key. But things like this show how impossible it now seems to overtake there:

“In 2018 Ricciardo managed to block off a Sebastian Vettel overtake for the win despite losing a quarter of his engine power for 50 laps of the race.”

The cars are too large now for the track which is also an issue. 

[charlierc]

14 hours ago, Barry Fish said:

Always used to be a couple of 6am races.

There still are - I think that'll be the start time for the Japanese Grand Prix next month, and do recall it was for the Australian Grand Prix earlier this season.

But it's one thing doing that due to those places being 8/9 hours ahead of us here in the UK and more the idea of it starting at 10pm Saturday night local time in the middle of a desert that gets quite cool around that time of year that does have me scratching my head.

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, Barry Fish said:

I really do love the crap you speak
 

 

Tbf, Monaco last year had precisely zero on-track overtakes after the first lap and I don't recall 2019's having too many. More full credit tbf for Gasly and Vettel giving it a shot this year.

[DareToDibble]

That post led me to a YouTube search. Some great ones here.

I think anything around Eau Rouge always looks incredible (and takes some serious guts)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSqFXkjieHQ#

[charlierc]

15 hours ago, DareToDibble said:

That post led me to a YouTube search. Some great ones here.

I think anything around Eau Rouge always looks incredible (and takes some serious guts)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSqFXkjieHQ#

The Eau Rouge ones are usually pretty awesome (Gasly had one in 2020 as well), though my favourite might be Ricciardo's move on Bottas in China in 2018. He had no right to make that move yet judged it perfectly and it ended up winning him the race. Shame how it's gone for him this season really.

[charlierc]

23 hours ago, Barry Fish said:

Give me one over take at Monaco over 50 DRS over takes at other venues.

They've talked for years about trying to move on from DRS. Take it therefore one would be in favour of it being dropped from F1 car design?

I think the last generation of cars needed it more but jury's out on whether the current spec has evolved in a way that makes it superfluous. I'm aware complications come at tracks where a great big DRS zone generates either super easy overtakes or DRS trains where nobody can overtake (or both in the case of Spa).

[DareToDibble]

In the short term couldn't the solution be to shorten the DRS zones? The idea when it was first implemented was to get a driver close enough to possibly overtake. Now it's just too easy. If they shorten the DRS zone we might get it back to what it was intended for?

[charlierc]

On 9/26/2022 at 11:40 AM, DareToDibble said:

In the short term couldn't the solution be to shorten the DRS zones? The idea when it was first implemented was to get a driver close enough to possibly overtake. Now it's just too easy. If they shorten the DRS zone we might get it back to what it was intended for?

It'll be track specific issues. Spa and Monza are different challenges by virtue of the fact they are open to DRS trains forming when there's a car that is just too quick to be overtaken.

The next two rounds at Suzuka and Singapore feel like they will be more likely to have major field spread due to the nature of them being quite twisty-turny tracks where overtaking is much more of a challenge.

[charlierc]

The 2021 F1 season is never going to end is it?

[Ozanne]

Horner hasn’t acted like someone that’s innocent has he? 😂

[DareToDibble]

I haven't been up to date this weekend on the F1. How has this breach only now come to light? No smoke without fire and I assume it'll be a fairly easy case to settle, they either breached the limit or they didn't. But how come we're only just hearing about it now? You'd think it would be the first thing reviewed at the end of every season?

[Ozanne]

1 minute ago, DareToDibble said:

I haven't been up to date this weekend on the F1. How has this breach only now come to light? No smoke without fire and I assume it'll be a fairly easy case to settle, they either breached the limit or they didn't. But how come we're only just hearing about it now? You'd think it would be the first thing reviewed at the end of every season?

I think it’s because the FIA are going to publish the report next week so there has been a leak.

The timing is normally by October of the following season (I could be wrong).

[DareToDibble]

2 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

I think it’s because the FIA are going to publish the report next week so there has been a leak.

The timing is normally by October of the following season (I could be wrong).

Could be huge then. Will the repercussions be as big as stripping titles or a huge fine? 

I would guess it's probably going to come down to some kind of technicality about if a certain thing was inside or outside the budget cap (I might be wrong but I think some types of spend are allowed outside of the cap?)

[DareToDibble]

66/1 on Leclerc to win the title this year.... worth a go should Max get expelled?