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Post by Carl on Feb 17, 2023 19:22:06 GMT
When close approaches and passing are allowed... I'll agree the new cars are fantastic 
The aerodynamics of Flash Gordon's Planetary Cruiser never allowed his enemies to come close
The evil mastermind of turbulent wakes
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Post by mikael on Feb 18, 2023 16:35:23 GMT
Ref. The new Alpine: When browsing through the pictures, and before reading René's text, my initial thought was that Alpine would run one pink and one blue car. But of course that is not possible (not accepted); hence the shift in colours after some races, as René explains.
But I came to think about the BAR team who, in 1999, wanted to do just that: run one car in "Lucky Strike" red and white colours, and one car in "555" blue and yellow colours. When they were not allowed to go ahead with that plan, they made the curious decision to paint both cars blue-yellow on one side, and red-white on the other. That turned out to be a wise decision, as the got a lot of attention :-D
The original plan
And the one that was realised
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Post by René on Feb 18, 2023 19:32:56 GMT
Yep, remember that one. Maybe not the most elegant livery but certainly a creative and remarkable solution.  In this case I agreed with the FIA to not allow the two different cars. In America it’s common practice but F1 teams should have two visually equal cars. Just looks better I feel. |
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Post by René on Feb 18, 2023 19:36:44 GMT
Today it’s Enzo Ferrari’s birthday, the 125th anniversary.  |
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Post by mikael on Feb 19, 2023 12:14:31 GMT
It continues to impress that Ferrari has been loyal to Formula One always - never a season away from it!
But one can worry about the future of F1 - and of motor sport in general. Now, the other day, we got the news that new cars equipped with combustion engines can no longer be sold within the EU from 2035; in other words, new cars must be fully electric by then. This is now definite.
It's not far away - just 12 years. All sports cars will also need to be electric then, even the most exotic ones. Fully electric - no more hybrid solutions. (Makers like Ferrari could keep some hybrid models alive for the non-EU market; but it probably wont last long before those countries follow EU's example.) And eventually, all racing cars will need to follow. That will be the end of motor sport "as we know it" ...
Personally, I'm not convinced that the "all electric" solution is the best one. Old batteries could become an environmental hazard. And then there's the problems with rare metals and rare earth elements.
Keeping combustion engines, but imposing a (forced) transition to "green" fuels, like hydrogen, could be a really good solution, I would think. Even existing combustion engines (both gasoline and diesel) could be converted to run on new, "green" fuels.
But this doesn't help now, of course, as the "all electric" solution has been decided.
The experimental hydrogen-propelled Mazda RX-8 of a few years back.
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Post by René on Feb 19, 2023 17:38:08 GMT
There is no doubt that a lot will change in the near future with regards to the automobile and motorsport. No doubt and 2035 is indeed not that far away. I did read however that there will be a review regarding eFuels in a few years time to see how that technology has developed. And there may also be an exception for manufacturers who produce less than 10.000 cars a year (= the luxury brands).
But yes, the combustion engine and motorsport as we know it will change. I think F1 will race on hydrogen. I don’t think racing will disappear because it’s way too popular, also with the younger generation.
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Post by Carl on Feb 19, 2023 21:00:06 GMT
Today it’s Enzo Ferrari’s birthday, the 125th anniversary. A cool highlight film featuring a rare raceday appearance by il Commendatore, spoiled by a tactical win for Rob Walker.
A young Dan Gurney qualified 4th and almost made the podium.
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Post by René on Feb 21, 2023 11:13:39 GMT
Today it’s Enzo Ferrari’s birthday, the 125th anniversary. A cool highlight film featuring a rare raceday appearance by il Commendatore, spoiled by a tactical win for Rob Walker.
A young Dan Gurney qualified 4th and almost made the podium. Very cool! I've been to Monza several times and what always strikes me when looking at these old recordings (64 years in this case), how much is actually still the same. Of course everything has been modernized many times over the decades but the basic layout is the same which makes it very recognizable. I really sometimes think to myself "that's where I sat!" when looking at this. |
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Post by Carl on Feb 21, 2023 20:13:44 GMT
René,
I had the same sensation at the 0:38 point of the film as the camera pans the small grandstand above pit lane. At the 1970 Italian Grand Prix, our seats were in the front row of this small grandstand and near to pit exit. Assuming BRM was able to keep its same location for a decade, this is where my friend and I stood (it was too crowded to sit) and were able to look directly down as Pedro Rodriguez sped in early to report a problem then roared away! That small grandstand adjacent to pit lane is gone now, replaced by air-conditioned corporate suites in which occupants are insulated and isolated from that sort of immediacy.
More modern and enlarged structures have replaced older ones but, except for the dreadful first and second chicanes, the essential atmosphere of Monza hasn't changed at all.
Ciao, Carl
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Post by René on Feb 22, 2023 18:08:29 GMT
More modern and enlarged structures have replaced older ones but, except for the dreadful first and second chicanes, the essential atmosphere of Monza hasn't changed at all. Ciao, Carl Hasn't changed at all.... Forza Ferrari!    |
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Post by René on Feb 22, 2023 18:11:38 GMT
Tomorrow morning the F1 test sessions will start in Bahrain. Only three days of testing before the first Grand Prix so there's no hiding or sandbagging. Really looking forward to that!
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Post by René on Feb 23, 2023 11:37:08 GMT
Finally, we have cars on the track again!  First good impression of the new Red Bull.   Morning times: Verstappen, Red Bull, 1m32.959s - 71 laps Sainz, Ferrari, 1m33.253s - 72 laps Albon, Williams, 1m33.671s - 74 laps Zhou, Alfa Romeo, 1m33.723s - 67 laps Russell, Mercedes, 1m34.174s - 69 laps Hulkenberg, Haas, 1m34.424s - 51 laps Drugovich, Aston Martin, 1m34.564s - 40 laps Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, 1m34.671s - 46 laps Gasly, Alpine, 1m34.822s - 60 laps Piastri, McLaren, 1m34.888s - 52 laps |
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Post by René on Feb 23, 2023 18:08:49 GMT
Well, that was day 1. It's only testing but Red Bull is fast and reliable. Alonso came close on fresh C3 tires, not sure about his fuel load but the Aston looked good. Ferrari solid but not spectacular. Sainz looked very good in the morning but Leclerc's car was more nervous but it looked they were experimenting more with extreme set-ups. Mercedes still a bit behind and McLaren looked slow at first but eventually came better. Alpine was very slow but maybe they were running a different program. But still early days of course. Verstappen (C3) - Red Bull - 1'32"837 - 157 laps Alonso (C3) - Apine - +0"029 - 60 laps Sainz (C3) - Ferrari - +0"416 - 72 laps Leclerc (C3) - Ferrari - +0"430 - 64 laps Norris (C3) - McLaren - +0"625 - 40 laps Hamilton (C2) - Mercedes - +0"671 - 83 laps Albon (C4) - Williams - +0"834 - 74 laps Zhou (C3) - Alfa Romeo - +0"886- 67 laps Russell (C3) - Mercedes - +1"337 - 69 laps Sargeant (C3) - Williams - +1"487 - 75 laps Hulkenberg (C3) - Haas - +1"587 - 51 laps Bottas (C3) - Alfa Romeo-Sauber - +1"721 - 71 laps De Vries (proto) - AlphaTauri - +1"722 - 85 laps Drugovich (C3) - Aston Martin - +1"727- 40 laps Tsunoda (C3) - AlphaTauri - +1"834 - 46 laps Gasly (C2) - Alpine - +1"985 - 60 laps Ocon (C3) - Alpine - +2"034 - 53 laps Piastri (C2) - McLaren - +2"051 - 52 laps Magnussen (?) - Haas - +2"250 - 57 laps  |
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Post by René on Feb 24, 2023 18:31:39 GMT
Okay, that was Day 2 in Bahrain. Sainz fastest in the morning topping Verstappen's time from yesterday but Max was blindingly fast again in the afternoon. But Zhou Guanyu set the fastest time in the Alfa on super soft tires. A strong showing.  To sum it up: - Red Bull is very fast and reliable
- Aston Martin could be the surprise team
- Ferrari is not showing their hand yet
- Mercedes are in trouble
- McLaren is not fast enough
- And neither is Alpine
Logan Sargeant also had a strong day doing 154 laps (!) and setting the 7th fastest time. Good job by the American. Ferrari is still a question mark but according to trackside reporters the car looks very good and planted. They also have the highest top speed which would be a huge improvement and Leclerc had regular purple 'mini' sector times but always seemed to back off. Well, I hope they are right with this analysis so Ferrari can really challenge Red Bull. Because if they can't, who will? Mercedes is not looking strong and Aston Martin is not ready to challenge for a championship yet.     |
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Post by René on Feb 25, 2023 11:55:06 GMT
That was the morning session in Bahrain and for the first time a seriously fast time from Charles Leclerc. Done on a one grade softer tire (C4) compared to Max's yesterday time on C3, he was 6 tenth faster. Yep, only testing but at least they showed there's indeed some serious speed in that car.  The times from Russell and Drugovich were done on the softest C5 tire. Mercedes is not looking good so far and Aston Martin may actually be the third best team behind Red Bull and Ferrari. It's not unlikely that Felipe Drugovich, the reigning F2 champion, will start his first Grand Prix next week. For unclear reasons Aston Martin is not very open about the injuries that Lance Stroll suffered with a biking accident but the rumor is he suffered at least one broken wrist! If true, he cannot start in a weeks time of course. From Drugovich's perspective, it shows how a 'lucky break' can possibly kickstart your career. Just ask Sebastian Vettel. And if that happens, Felipe will be in a competitive car unlike the much more hyped Oscar Piastri who has to find his way in a slow McLaren.  1. Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m31.024s, C4 - 67 laps 2. Russell, Mercedes, 1m31.442s, C5 - 83 laps 3. Drugovich, Aston Martin, 1m32.075s, C5 - 77 laps 4. Pérez, Red Bull, 1m32.459s, C3 - 69 laps 5. Gasly, Alpine, 1m32.762s, C3 - 56 laps 6. Albon, Williams, 1m32.793s, C5 - 53 laps 7. Hülkenberg, Haas, 1m33.329s, C3 - 77 laps 8. Piastri, McLaren, 1m33.655s, C3 - 44 laps 9. Bottas, Alfa Romeo, 1m36.854s, C3 - 72 laps 10. De Vries, AlphaTauri, 1m38.244s, C3 - 87 laps |
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