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Post by René on Jul 15, 2021 12:10:10 GMT
Silverstone, the venue which hosted the first official Formula 1 Grand Prix will now host the first Formula 1 sprint race! Friday will see one free practice session and then qualifying for the sprint race grid. On the saturday there will be another free practice and then the 100km sprint race in the afternoon that will determine the starting grid for the actual Grand Prix on sunday. There is no mandatory tire change and drivers have a free choice what tire to run. So a flat out 17 laps race. It is new, it is different so let’s just wait and see how it goes. The only thing I find really difficult to understand is that Ross Brawn revealed that the winner of the sprint race will be officially credited with pole position in the history books. That is silly and will skew the history books.
Anyways…  what to expect? The general thought is that Mercedes will be stronger here so this may not be a Verstappen/Red Bull walk away. If they are evenly matched we could be in for a good fight, certainly with Hamilton having the ‘home advantage’. Fight for third best team between McLaren and Ferrari will continue but Ferrari is moving more towards focussing on the 2022 car. Still, this could be close and maybe there’s also an Alpha Tauri or Alpine or Aston Martin in the mix. Enough to look forward to!
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Post by charleselan on Jul 15, 2021 14:14:43 GMT
Surely we cannot accept a "Super Sprint" race replacing Qualifying, a bit like replacing "Penalty Shoot Outs" with a mini match.
In my opinion it is just desperate stuff in trying to tart up the show, but as with all things corporate they do not look at the root cause of the issue.
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Post by René on Jul 15, 2021 17:26:40 GMT
Surely we cannot accept a "Super Sprint" race replacing Qualifying, a bit like replacing "Penalty Shoot Outs" with a mini match. In my opinion it is just desperate stuff in trying to tart up the show, but as with all things corporate they do not look at the root cause of the issue. I basically agree but it's going to happen anyway so let's see if the concept of a short flat out race is any good to begin with. But of course it can never be a replacement of real qualifying which for the real fans has always been a highlight of the weekend. And to continue with all these weird 'noveltyish' things, F1 also (officially) introduced the real scale model of the new generation of cars...   ©Autosport |
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Post by René on Jul 15, 2021 19:27:41 GMT
From this angle it looks actually quite cool.  |
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Post by René on Jul 15, 2021 22:21:05 GMT
How it all began. Watch 6 minutes of pure art.
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Post by Carl on Jul 16, 2021 0:25:12 GMT
How it all began. Watch 6 minutes of pure art. René has no idea that, because of his devotion, this actual Ferrari will be beside his tree on Christmas morning.  |
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Post by mikael on Jul 16, 2021 6:41:51 GMT
From this angle it looks actually quite cool. Yes, visually, it seems to be an improvement over the present cars, that have far too many winglets, barge boards, and the like. Then the question is, if the rules and regulations really leave enough room to the teams for creativity and individuality in the appearance of the actual cars.
Some discussions on the next step, from 2025 and beyond, are appearing, mentioning that a four-wheel drive is being considered. That could perhaps be interesting; however, then the cars will be larger and heavier yet again.
Still, I just cannot understand why F1 want to keep on insisting, apparently, that all engines should have the same layout, like the present V-6 layout. From the link below,
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Post by chrisb on Jul 16, 2021 7:13:28 GMT
Sprint races to determine grid slots isn't new, it just feels like yet another gimmick to mask the failings of F1, still as you say Rene lets wait and see, it is on C4 live this weekend so we can at least watch it, problem is we are having some glorious weather forecasted so the bike is going to win this one, Cumbria, Scotland possibly beckons.
I have gone for Norris, not that I think he will win it's just I would like him to win, especially after the appalling scenes and what happened to him at Wembley, yet more disgrace
I agree Mikael/ Rene the 2020 car is an improvement, but there again it would be difficult not to have anything that wasn't , ok possibly Formula E, I would love to see simple front wings, no barge boards and bits and pieces hanging on, however, Mikael we are in total agreement here, why can't we have an open engine formula that really tests and hopefully benefits the world including motorists that is purely governed by the amount of fuel, consumption of fuel, pollution etc - I know people will say it's down to money and my counter argument is that it would open up creativity, which previously has come primarily from the smaller concerns, and more importantly it would be so much more interesting for everyone, testing imagination and how it could be applied elsewhere - which would be the main aim, in the meantime turn F1 thinking into just how they can reduce their carbon footprint with all their flying,
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Post by René on Jul 16, 2021 11:18:36 GMT
How it all began. Watch 6 minutes of pure art. René has no idea that, because of his devotion, this actual Ferrari will be beside his tree on Christmas morning. Really Carl, is it mine?!  Yippee! |
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Post by Carl on Jul 16, 2021 17:39:32 GMT
René has no idea that, because of his devotion, this actual Ferrari will be beside his tree on Christmas morning. Really Carl, is it mine?! Yippee!
I have no idea...
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Post by René on Jul 16, 2021 19:36:14 GMT
Wow, great pole position lap from Lewis… uuuh.. well, not a real pole but fastest lap so he can start from pole, uh no, first position in the sprint race. Anyway, it really was a great lap from Lewis. And what about George Russell! Fantastic lap to reach Q3 and then beating Sainz and Vettel to start from p8. Absolutely world class! And another super lap from Charles Leclerc when it mattered. Go for it Charles, forza!  |
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Post by charleselan on Jul 17, 2021 11:47:49 GMT
I haven't watched via UK C4 for over two years now but gave it a shot yesterday, better than Croft I suppose but the sycophancy of the likes of Coultard was nauseating to be honest. The greatest qualifying session ever apparently, should have seen the one in 1969 then David, and what about 1985, Ah! But.
Max obviously wasn't happy with his car, too much understeer apparently. Valterri doing all the donkey work for SLH and a mere two tenths off, what ever Valterri has been promised for next year it must be golden.
George Russell was outstanding and although I have very grave reservations about the crowd in these troubled & dangerous times the sound of them cheering him on was wonderful and inspirational. I know it is just one qualification session but I can see Williams making great steps forward under Jost Capito, he has a team that functions now.
Charles as ever was outstanding again and we didn't see a glimpse of his lap so enraptured by the "Tour de Force" up front were the producers. Just think what it would be like if Charles and George had cars that were on a par with SLH and Max.
A lot being made of this Sprint race but everyone seems to forget that Silverstone isn't known for its overtaking opportunities, and who is going to risk scrapping their car in a desperate move.
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Post by René on Jul 17, 2021 17:52:37 GMT
Just think what it would be like if Charles and George had cars that were on a par with SLH and Max. Exactly my thought. Let's hope next year will bring exactly this! |
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Post by René on Jul 17, 2021 17:59:16 GMT
Well, that was the first ever sprint race in F1. And in all honesty, I enjoyed it!
The pole position/qualifying naming remains an issue but the actual short race was not bad at all. Alonso's first lap seen from his onboard was fantastic! The 'old' Alonso as we know him. And Sergio.. hmmm, that was not so good.
So okay, Max is clearly the man right now but I still think we could be in for a good race tomorrow.
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Post by robmarsh on Jul 17, 2021 19:43:30 GMT
Yep I must admit I enjoyed it too.
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what to expect? The general thought is that Mercedes will be stronger here so this may not be a Verstappen/Red Bull walk away. If they are evenly matched we could be in for a good fight, certainly with Hamilton having the ‘home advantage’.
Yippee! 
