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Post by René on Oct 24, 2018 14:42:59 GMT
If the Mexican Grand Prix turns out only half as good as the US Grand Prix it will still be worthwhile watching! And the ingredients look good. Ferrari is back on pace and Red Bull looked good also and won of course here last year. The championship now seems only a formality for Lewis so he can celebrate his 5th in the stadium.
The atmosphere is always fantastic in Mexico so bring it on!
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Post by Carl on Oct 24, 2018 16:02:00 GMT
I think a Ferrari will win.
Meanwhile, rumors about pinatas gorditas have resulted in Zak Brown having additional security.
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Post by charleselan on Oct 24, 2018 16:36:14 GMT
Kimi is on a roll, he is going out of Ferrari with a bang, I am voting for him. MB are going to be even more compromised by the lack of those "trick" rear wheels . Max will be a factor. Charles Leclerc will be awesome. Can Brendon Hartley put it across Pierre yet again, thus making old citron mouth even more uncomfortable, the voodoo doll and pins are already in front of me waiting.
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Post by robmarsh on Oct 24, 2018 17:43:49 GMT
I will back Kimi for the double header.
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Post by chrisb on Oct 25, 2018 5:58:58 GMT
I go for Kimi as well, purely and simply I think he has loosened the shackles and is proving he is still very quick and I do think next year we will see Kimi doing a 'Rossi' and defying ageism!
sadly we are back to highlights in the UK and will probably listen to the radio,
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Post by mikael on Oct 27, 2018 6:19:46 GMT
Very interesting indeed that Renault-powered cars are on top of the time-sheets (in FP1, FP2)! Interesting also that Mercedes' real wheels have again been deemed legal. If they just work as cooling devices for the tyres - which seems most plausible - then the decision seems fair. On the other hand, Ferrari's worries may perhaps not be completely far-fetched. I came to think about the rotating cylinder in an airstream - which generates lift - or downforce, depending on the direction of rotation vs. the direction of the airstream. The rotating wheels of an airborne formula car will actually produce downforce. This must be reassuring for the driver to know! Yet I do think that the complicated structure of the Mercedes rear wheels is just to make them work as cooling devices ...
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Post by Jamie on Oct 27, 2018 6:59:51 GMT
Great picture Mikael!
I'm late to the vote so will refrain but blimey the Red Bulls look quick and Max....well love him or loath him, the lad is a serious talent. I do hope he is able to genuinely fight at the front soon, I think Max will hasten the retirement of some of the old guard if that RB is fast next year.
The Renault engines seem to be going particularly well here. I wonder if there's a reason for that.....perhaps they are less affected by the altitude but how would that work, something about the Renault turbos being super effective? However, McLaren remain an absolute embarrassment so Renault's jump in form hasn't affected them.
I hope Lewis wraps it up here to be honest. Shackles are off then for the last couple of races, nothing to lose for all drivers and anything can happen. A Kimi win wouldn't be unwelcome in this household either 👍
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Post by Carl on Oct 27, 2018 7:23:17 GMT
Very interesting indeed that Renault-powered cars are on top of the time-sheets (in FP1, FP2)! Interesting also that Mercedes' real wheels have again been deemed legal. If they just work as cooling devices for the tyres - which seems most plausible - then the decision seems fair. On the other hand, Ferrari's worries may perhaps not be completely far-fetched. I came to think about the rotating cylinder in an airstream - which generates lift - or downforce, depending on the direction of rotation vs. the direction of the airstream. The rotating wheels of an airborne formula car will actually produce downforce. This must be reassuring for the driver to know! Yet I do think that the complicated structure of the Mercedes rear wheels is just to make them work as cooling devices ... Mikael, Great diagram, analysis and equally great photograph. Is it my late hour imagination (synchronize watches to 00:33) or were the nose sections of later Lotus 49s angled further down after the first year's, perhaps to aid the front wings in generating downforce?
Cheers, Carl
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Post by Jamie on Oct 27, 2018 9:36:01 GMT
I think you're right Carl, on the picture of an airborne Graham Hill you can see the air inlet is flush with the flat bottom if the nose, on the earlier 49 it does look a bit higher and more sculptured.
I've just been reading that the Merc engines were suffering with localised overheating yesterday and they'd been turned down to compensate, perhaps that explains some of the discrepancy with the Renaults, not sure if Ferrari were suffering from the same thing? Or was this a PR line put out to cover up a basic lack of pace? Who knows, but today will be interesting.
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Post by René on Oct 27, 2018 10:14:35 GMT
The position of the Renault works team is actually less abnormal than it looks at first sight. The gap between Renault and Red Bull and Renault and Toro Rosso/Force India is about the same as usual. It was a good session for Renault but it is far more the lack of pace by Ferrari and Mercedes that creates this picture as they would normally be ahead of the Red Bulls.
Ferrari and Mercedes had problems getting the tyres in right operating the window. Expect them to do better this afternoon. Furthermore, the low air density works as an engine equalizer as the performance drop is relative to the total output (about 22%) which hurts the stronger engines more.
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Post by charleselan on Oct 27, 2018 10:18:10 GMT
I have missed out on all of this regarding the Renault powered cars pace as yet again the flaming Orange Internet connection went down from last evening, until half an hour ago. Three significant times in two months is getting too much! Higher altitude has always resulted in over heating issues, especially in a warm climate, memories of all the issues that used to be had at Kyalami in the past, and for that matter Mexico City. Just look at René's great picture of the Ferrari 312B running the short nosed configuration to aid cooling. Carl, I did read some time back that many Lotus cars in the 1960's suffered from lift issues at the front and in many photos of the 25; 33 and early 49 one can see the nose rising quite pronouncedly. It was suggested that one of the reasons the 25B had so much speed deficit at Spa in 1964 was down to this problem. You are indeed correct my dear Watson , that the 49B had more of a downward appearance in the nose section, aided also by the large extractor vents behind the radiator.
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Post by chrisb on Oct 27, 2018 11:16:20 GMT
Mikael, although 1968/69 were for me the two years I lost complete interest in F1 that is one stupendous photo - brilliant
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Post by Carl on Oct 27, 2018 23:36:41 GMT
Great qualifying effort by Daniel Ricciardo to take pole position by .026 seconds from his young teammate! As usual, the falloff after sixth place makes clear the superiority of the top three teams.
David Croft breathlessly and repeatedly announces at every Grand Prix exactly how old Max Verstappen would be (21 years, 3 weeks and 6 days in Mexico qualifying) should he supplant Sebastien Vettel as the youngest pole sitter.
Unless he has confirmation of widespread attention deficit disorder among his listeners, once would be enough.
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Post by chrisb on Oct 28, 2018 10:06:59 GMT
congrats to Danny lets hope you can finish on a win!
this weekend is another sad anniversary and there is a poignant photo of Ricardo Rodriguez kissing his Father's hand before he set off on his fatal lap,
the gap is embarrassing, there is a very good piece by Nigel Roebuck online on Autosport and the stats make for interesting reading, he also makes the suggestion that had Teflonso still been at Ferrari they would have been WDC's a couple of times. Something I find it difficult to disagree with. But that brings a thought to mind, who is good at being under pressure? some pressure I think most beneficial, the sort of pressure Seb is under, or possibly puts himself under, who could cope with that? However, whenever I write something about Seb I am reminded as to what ~~Mark Webber always said that he feels Seb will retire whilst still comparatively young. I wonder?
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Post by Carl on Oct 28, 2018 16:40:01 GMT
congrats to Danny lets hope you can finish on a win! this weekend is another sad anniversary and there is a poignant photo of Ricardo Rodriguez kissing his Father's hand before he set off on his fatal lap, the gap is embarrassing, there is a very good piece by Nigel Roebuck online on Autosport and the stats make for interesting reading, he also makes the suggestion that had Teflonso still been at Ferrari they would have been WDC's a couple of times. Something I find it difficult to disagree with. But that brings a thought to mind, who is good at being under pressure? some pressure I think most beneficial, the sort of pressure Seb is under, or possibly puts himself under, who could cope with that? However, whenever I write something about Seb I am reminded as to what ~~Mark Webber always said that he feels Seb will retire whilst still comparatively young. I wonder? The saddest aspect of that photo is that the Rodriguez patriarch had ordered his son to set fast time of day rather than settle for damn close to it. What sort of parent mistakes hand-kissing obedience for honor?
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