2011 Formula 1 Season - Official Discussion Thread

[Ali]

And here you can download it:

http://www.f1zone.net/viewtopic.php?p=244258#p244258

[sdutt]

Nice to see some fun in the video , hope Robert gets well soon

[LiamN]

Im thinking this will be similar to 05 with the MP4-20, then they had some drastically new piece known as the Zero Keel, ( now common place) It took until Spain for the team to unlock the cars full potential and we all now the potential that car ended up having.

Anyway their main problem is lack of mileage. The car's reliability is not terrible but I think its a car that needs to be developed further to unlock a lot of potential. The question is how fast can they do it..

[HiddenWingz]

The drivers messages are so sweet! Couldn't help but smile/laugh at a few of them.

[Ali]

Im thinking this will be similar to 05 with the MP4-20, then they had some drastically new piece known as the Zero Keel, ( now common place) It took until Spain for the team to unlock the cars full potential and we all now the potential that car ended up having.

Anyway their main problem is lack of mileage. The car's reliability is not terrible but I think its a car that needs to be developed further to unlock a lot of potential. The question is how fast can they do it..

"Unlocking the potential." This phrase turns out to be a common euphemism for "struggling." Whenever I hear a team saying this to explain uncompetitive nature of the car, I begin to think that they are struggling somewhere. Not just McLaren, it has become a everyday use in racing terms.

As for McLaren, this is not good. Red Bull and Ferrari have quick cars out of the box, and they will not standing still. While McLaren (and Mercedes) are developing their cars with big upgrades, they will do the exact thing, which will mean Macca and Merc both will play catch up.

Last year McLaren brought a big upgrade to the last Barcelona test giving them nearly extra 1 second. Yet they still wounded up 1.1sec behind the Red Bull and Ferrari in Bahrain. It's tricky situation for McLaren.

--

Timo Glock has now returned home following a Monday operation for the removal of his appendix. Although the German may have to miss next week’s Barcelona test session as a result, he has amusingly suggested that he will now be quicker on-track due to a decreased overall body weight.

[JoostLamers]

Will McLaren bring a big upgrade again to the last test?

[phil1993]

Bernie wants Brazil pushed back to Dec 4th and Bahrain slotted in to November 20th.

And Joost, I think McLaren are still using an interim front wing

[iceman1]

Will McLaren bring a big upgrade again to the last test?

A new front wing + a revised aero solution around the rear.

[mikhailv]

I think mclaren have the problem that, Ferrari's car does look basic, but Redbulls look very complex. I believe it was Sam Michael questioning what MORE can they add to the redbull? Ferrari have an open car to tweak, play and advance, redbull seem to have maxed out the car from the past 2 years, mclaren and ferrari have new designs to improve on, redbulls is mostly carried over.

So i actually think, redbull arent the dominant force this year, and It will be Ferrari, and mclaren will come into their own by half way, and be a formidable force in 2012 if they fail to improve drastically before th aussie gp

[Ali]

Yes, it's offical: Mercedes are 1 second behind

Ross Brawn admits his Mercedes team are struggling for pace with the start of the new season fast approaching.

It begins in Melbourne on 27 March, with just five more days of testing in Spain (8-12 March) to come beforehand.

"We're about a second off where we want to be, which is at the front, so we've got to find a second in the upgrade which we think we can do," Brawn said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsp ... 413770.stm

[cformula1]

Mark Webber unhappy with Ecclestone's 'fake rain' idea

Code: Select all

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9413796.stm

I also disagree with the fake rain idea. It's unnecessary and would inevitably lead to claims of bias in favour of or against certain drivers/teams.

[François]

Same here. The randomness and unpredictability of the weather is at least half the fun. And "classic" races (wet or dry) just happen (or don't), you can't calculate them.

Going on a tangent, this suggestion stems from the assumption that you need rain to make a good race, with which I also have to disagree. A good race requires close competition (up to the teams and drivers, but we had it for most of 2010), high stakes (which the new points system provide), the coexistence of different strategies (which was gone once everybody got the hang of the 2010 Bridgestone tyres, but which we may well see again with Pirelli this year) and, most of all, the possibility to overtake. The moveable rear wing is an interesting feature but who believes it will work? Not only is it preposterously complex, but the FIA are being way too conservative with it; what difference is it going to make in the last 600 metres before a corner? I may be wrong but I don't believe this will succeed in improving the show; let's hope the tyres do for now, and wait for 2013...

[phil1993]

The fake rain idea is just horrible. I can't believe anyone would think it would result in F1 being seen as a creditable sport.

[alex1369]

Hey guys i have just been browsing some pics from Monza 2010 on next-genauto.com and guess what i found - i found a pic where im on



Im the only one with Mclaren shirt on pic - so i think it s not hard to find me...
That was when Robert Kubica came to track on race day

[RallyFan2]

I think it's a good thing that the 107% rule returns. But there should be compensation for the smaller teams. Like using a third car on friday, which was common in 2005. Or some extra test days during the season. For sure I think that the testban is not good. They should change this. Just four or five days during a season. The substitute drivers then have the oppertunity to learn the car. Last year we've seen Fisichella struggeling in the Ferrari, although he is a good driver. So a few testdays should be avalible.

Actually, there has been recent criticism of the F1 tracks. They have, for the most part, been designed by the same man and are much too much alike. Most are not that good for racing anyway and give rather little consideration to the fan.

F1 has become increasingly contrived and "fake", just like the fake rain Bernie now wants to interject into the event.

When was the last time you asked someone to make a poor product? That is what has been asked of the tyre supplier. Why require the use of two different tyres in the course of an event for no other reason than selling the tyres. That is neither racing nor competition.

Taking away refueling was yet another contrivance. There really is no safety issue. If anything, starting an event with that quantity of fuel raises safety issues due to questions about the handling and braking of the car with all of that weight which has not been adequately tested because of the severe restrictions on testing.

Speaking of testing, isn't the idea to put the best possible car on the track to be competitive and thereby put on the best show for the spectators?

Many road going cars are more sophisticated than F1 cars. Take the fuel injection for instance. What about the tyre/rim combinations. Those look to be leftovers from a different era.

In my view, the FIA has done a mediocre job of advancing F1 whether it has been a financial success or not. I too would like to see a true formula which encourages excellence and the development of technology that is not completely irrelevant to the rest of the automotive world.

There are any number of ways to restrict the power of engines if the purpose is to restrict speeds. How about starting with real "pump gas" that is supplied by the organizer at the track? What about requiring the engine to start at ambient temperature (in other words no preheating of the engine and fluids) with an on-board starter? (This might even help reduce the number of stalled cars left on the course.)

If adjustable aerodynamic devices are okay, why restrict them in the silly way of having to be within a specific distance of another car? FIA claims that is solely for the purpose of improving passing opportunities, but if aero is the problem in the first place why not simply restrict the size of the wings and other devices whether adjustable or not?

I suspect that any handful of race enthusiast chosen at random from the crowd could do a better job.

The staggering cost of fielding a first tier F1 team will always be a problem. There are companies which want to spend the money as part of their marketing programs.

Cheers