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Post by mikael on Mar 21, 2022 7:14:02 GMT
A good start of the season, with rather evenly matched cars. And here in Denmark, Kevin Magnussen is again on the front page of any news medium.
Hopefully we will see a lot of different winners throughout the season.
One small negative point. I think it's a pity that F1 didn't have sufficient confidence in the new formula/regulations to get rid of that (much disliked) moving aerodynamic device, "DRS".
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Post by charleselan on Mar 21, 2022 12:40:56 GMT
This whole past weekend has had a certain feel good factor about it. We have had some glorious weather here in France although there is a chill wind from the east but all good otherwise, however the motor sport has been superb with the kind of results I have been waiting for too long. A great podium in MotoGP and some fabulous racing in both the Sebring 12Hours and Indycar in Texas, but the F1 was just sublime.
There appears to be a completely different feel about this first race of the new era, none of the acrimony of last year or the tedious and monotonous domination of the past few years. We have waited far too long for a Ferrari revival but the one two result was just magical, and so deserved by the best pairing in F1. Both Charles & Carlos are at time painfully honest about their performances but it is in sharp contrast to the petulance we have seen by others in the past and much appreciated.
The battle between Charles and Max was compelling with each car having its advantages at various parts of this boring dust bowl of a circuit. However the defining moment for me was Charles using clever race craft to the fore and quite literally out thinking Max in that brief but enthralling little battle. I have a feeling these two are going to have several of those this year, and once he gets a handle on the Ferrari Carlos will be in there as well.
The other high point has to be Kevin Magnussen's fabulous drive and the performance of his Haas car, it just proved how unfair it was that the guy had been kicked out of F1 in the first place.
Also amazing to see how good the new Ferrari power units were as all the cars with these "motors" were in strong race positions.
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Post by René on Mar 21, 2022 16:39:36 GMT
many many congratulations Ferrari, a deserved and a brilliant win, Forza! and I watched the C4 highlights after listening to it on the radio, such is the improvement of F1, I am so looking forward to this season, what a start Wonderful you found new interest in Formula 1, Chris! Now be careful not to become a Ferrari fan!  |
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Post by René on Mar 21, 2022 17:10:41 GMT
What a positive race weekend it was indeed! The champagne is finally out of my system but I still feel like I'm floating! Fantastic stuff and the pinnacle of racing, Formula 1, finally delivering again. But of course it's only the first race and what if Ferrari wins the next 15? Then only Rob and I are still happy!  But seriously, it was good and the battle between Charles and Max was great. Hard, on the edge but fair. It did look like Charles had him covered however. Max drove brilliantly but very much on the edge of what the Red Bull could do. Charles seemed more in control and drove very clever by letting Max pass on the main straight and then passing him back on the following DRS zone. But great racing from both of them and I agree with Carl that Max deserved a podium. He was very unlucky and so was Checo. Or is the Red Bull power unit turned up too far to keep up with Ferrari? Time will tell.
Carlos was not yet on the same speed as Charles but I'm sure he will find his way with the F1-75. A contract extension is almost finalized so I expect him to stay at Ferrari for at least another 2 years. Reality is that Ferrari and Red Bull are, for the moment, on a different level compared to the rest of the field. Without the safety car and Red Bull's DNF's, Lewis would have finished 25 seconds behind the top 4. That is huge! Not a deficit easily fixed. On the other hand, this new concept is so new that giant leaps can still be made... maybe. For now I expect the battle at the front to be between Ferrari and Red Bull. Would be great if Carlos and Sergio could join the fight with Charles and Max. Kevin is living the dream. Getting an unexpected call from Steiner and then finding yourself in a competitive car! I was actually also quite impressed with Guanyu Zhou's race. The young man made some great moves and no mistakes.
Very painful to see where the McLarens are. They were so off the pace, amazing. I do hope for Lando and Daniel they find a solution soon, otherwise it will be a very long season for them.
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Post by chrisb on Mar 21, 2022 22:30:33 GMT
many many congratulations Ferrari, a deserved and a brilliant win, Forza! and I watched the C4 highlights after listening to it on the radio, such is the improvement of F1, I am so looking forward to this season, what a start Wonderful you found new interest in Formula 1, Chris! Now be careful not to become a Ferrari fan!  good luck with that one Rene! but you never know..... |
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Post by René on Mar 22, 2022 11:17:51 GMT
A few more thoughts. McLaren's performance was shocking. The Mercedes PU is not the outright best anymore but that can't be the reason for the total lack of speed. The MCL36 is the first 100% James Key project designed under completely new regulations so a fresh start for everyone. They are so far back that it looks like the car is fundamentally wrong. Can't remember them being so far of the mark. Is the Mercedes era finally over? Like Red Bull's was in 2014 or Ferrari's in 2005 after years of total dominance? It looks like it and that can only be good for the sport. They will surely win more races but winning it all for too long is just not healthy.
Ferrari finalized their PU upgrade just in time before the engine freeze takes effect and they obviously did a very good job. That is not only good for themselves but also for Haas and Alfa Romeo. Scoring regular points is almost guaranteed even with a half decent car. This season will be very important for Mick Schumacher. Mick is not the tornado like his father but he's a good driver who managed to win the title in both F3 and F2 in his second year in the series. He can't do that in F1 obviously but he needs to look good compared to Magnussen who's a much more serious benchmark than Mazepin of course. This season will show if Mick has the goods and can handle the pressure to perform. It will be interesting.
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Post by charleselan on Mar 22, 2022 12:11:24 GMT
Agreed it looks like McLaren have really got it wrong with their car, although there was some comment from Lando Norris that they will be better at tracks with more faster corners, we will see. I was very disappointed in the Williams as well, I expected and hoped for more but was very impressed with Alex Albon's driving both in qualifying and the early race. Like Russell last year he extracted everything from that car. Talking of George Russell I was very disappointed to see MB treat him just like they had Valterri in putting him on a less than optimal strategy, just as he was closing in on SLH; I will refrain from any cynicism  . Having said that I thought that Lewis drove very well when it mattered and was in a place where the car should not have been, it will do him good to have to drive a less than competitive car. Doubt that Mick will get anywhere near close to Kevin to be honest. Mick is a good little driver who works hard at developing his skills but at this level it will be very hard going. Kevin on the other hand is rated by many, Jensen Button rated him very highly when they were at McLaren together and so does Romain Grosjean. Incidentally throughout the S*Y transmission they kept saying that it was Red Bull Power Trains and no mention of Honda, now I thought that Honda had done a U Turn and agreed to carry on for the next two years at least. Was that wrongly reported? |
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Post by René on Mar 22, 2022 12:48:15 GMT
Incidentally throughout the S*Y transmission they kept saying that it was Red Bull Power Trains and no mention of Honda, now I thought that Honda had done a U Turn and agreed to carry on for the next two years at least. Was that wrongly reported? Yes I think that was wrongly reported. It is now officially Red Bull Power Trains after all and not Honda. Don’t know why actually. Another thought. Now that Covid restrictions have been losened up a little, this must be the biggest threat to a possible title challenge from Charles or Max or anyone. First Ricciardo, then Vettel, can happen to anyone. This could blow your title hopes. |
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Post by charleselan on Mar 23, 2022 15:33:56 GMT
Did I hear this correctly. During the S*YF1 transmission this weekend they stated that the new F1 wheels & tyres actually weigh 23kg, that is ridiculous. One bag of animal feed that I give our animals for their daily mineral supplements weighs 20kg and that ain't light.
These cars are claimed to be the heaviest F1 cars, that might satisfy the money makers but it isn't what F1 should be about, never was and never should be. Colin Chapman would have been spinning at the thought.
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Post by René on Mar 23, 2022 16:17:22 GMT
Did I hear this correctly. During the S*YF1 transmission this weekend they stated that the new F1 wheels & tyres actually weigh 23kg, that is ridiculous. One bag of animal feed that I give our animals for their daily mineral supplements weighs 20kg and that ain't light. These cars are claimed to be the heaviest F1 cars, that might satisfy the money makers but it isn't what F1 should be about, never was and never should be. Colin Chapman would have been spinning at the thought. Yes I agree this is a big issue (literally). The ever increasing weigth of the cars is becoming problematic. Lewis has been complaining about this for a long time (he is still from the generation that remembers the lighter, more nimble cars) but nobody seems to listen. It is mainly safety related like the halo and crash structures but now also the wheels.
With the new regulations they finally stopped the ever increasing length and even reversed that slightly but they should really do the same for the weight now. Most teams are nowhere near to the minimum weight limit, this heavy are the new safety structures and 18" wheels. Some teams are even removing paint from the cars to safe weight! Seriously.
I understand the safety measures but a race car and certainly a Formula 1 car should be light and nimble. They got a lot right with the new regulations but this has to be addressed.
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Post by mikael on Mar 23, 2022 17:43:57 GMT
Ref. the weight of an F1 tyre/wheel.
But I wonder if a tyre/wheel assembly of, say, the 1970's weren't just as heavy? It's just that the cars of back then weighed "next to nothing".
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Post by Carl on Mar 23, 2022 18:40:15 GMT
Did I hear this correctly. During the S*YF1 transmission this weekend they stated that the new F1 wheels & tyres actually weigh 23kg, that is ridiculous. One bag of animal feed that I give our animals for their daily mineral supplements weighs 20kg and that ain't light. These cars are claimed to be the heaviest F1 cars, that might satisfy the money makers but it isn't what F1 should be about, never was and never should be. Colin Chapman would have been spinning at the thought. I heard the same stated weight and it does seem ridiculous! 23 kilograms is 50.7 pounds and only one part of this years mysterious overall weight gain. According to Motorsport, "As a result of ramped up safety structures and the shift to 18-inch wheels, F1’s car weight has jumped by 95 pounds this season. For McLaren driver Lando Norris, the extra weight has left him feeling that the cars are not as nimble as the previous generation." |
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Post by chrisb on Mar 23, 2022 22:44:58 GMT
great pictures Mikael, especially the top photo....
I am surprised they haven't put rubber rings around the cars for safety reasons but there again if they read this it might be considered. The cars are looking so much better than for the past decade or more, but I miss the simplicity and watching a car twitch and twiddle around corners like the beautiful Lotus above.
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Post by Carl on Mar 24, 2022 1:16:18 GMT
great pictures Mikael, especially the top photo.... I am surprised they haven't put rubber rings around the cars for safety reasons but there again if they read this it might be considered. The cars are looking so much better than for the past decade or more, but I miss the simplicity and watching a car twitch and twiddle around corners like the beautiful Lotus above. Well said! |
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Post by René on Mar 24, 2022 18:42:12 GMT
The cars are looking so much better than for the past decade or more, but I miss the simplicity and watching a car twitch and twiddle around corners like the beautiful Lotus above. I understand what you mean Chris. We all have a weak spot for the cars from our younger years I guess. But it's also good to realize that the Lotus in the picture is 52 years ago! Counting back the same number of years from the Lotus brings you to this... The Lotus looks just as space age compared to this as the 2022 cars look compared to the Lotus. Maybe even more so.
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. Having said that I thought that Lewis drove very well when it mattered and was in a place where the car should not have been, it will do him good to have to drive a less than competitive car.
