Formula 1 Discussion - And favourite driver?

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Who wants some terrible predictions?

1. Ferrari - looks the most stable only question is if it's fast enough, luckily Haas did some glory runs after everyone went home. Paint a barcode on the rear wing and it's golden.

2. Redbull - Looks good, a bit under-steery but updates are coming tomorrow.

3. Merc - Looks a handful but not slow, would be lower but I have trust in them sorting out issues.

4. McLaren - Looks better than Merc and Redbull when it's running.

5. Alpha Tauri - They have to go somewhere, umming and ahhing about being better or worse than Aston Martin

5=. Aston Martin - some said it was quite bad, I disagree, a bit twitchy but can actually go round corners.

7. Alpine - Mainly here due to only car running a Renault PU, otherwise happy with Ocon's running.

8. Williams - Didn't see much but they look like they have their act together. Could be 7th.

9. Haas - Not a great start to the season, looks much better than last year's car.

10. Alfa Romeo - Someone has to be last.

And more importantly how competitive they are:
1/2/3 fights for championship. 4 is best of the rest. 5/6/7 and possibly 8 in the midfield battle. 9 and 10 fighting over who isn't last.
 
Noticing trend of Merc not being held in high regard here for their performance thus far. Nice. Let's hope they are in a bit of trouble and other teamS are ahead or in battle with them. A 3 team fight would be welcome, 4 a fucking miracle!

Mainly posting as just read Daniel R. has tested positive for the big C so not driving tomorrow.

OHHH, and this too:

MAGNUSSEN SETS F1 TEST DAY’S BEST TIME DURING EXTRA RUNNING

 
Imagine a year where we never see Ham on the podium at all, George scores a few and Lewis announces his retirement and goes out with a whimper and a significant portion of the population becomes woke and realizes he was only lucky to win the titles as he got in a dominant team.

"F1 2022", coming soon to a theatre near you?? Oscar winner indeed if that script is followed.

Also, I saw a tweet about some docu Apple+ TV is making/made about Lewis? I will never watch it, but just wanted to mention it.
If we're sharing our wild fever dreams, how about this one:

Mercedes doesn't do well, Hamilton is pissed. At some point, he runs his mouth about how the team holds him back, how the car is a mess, how bad everything is and how it's everyone's fault. Some chief engineer is finally fed up, publically anounces that without constant team orders and endless mollycuddling by Wolff, Hamilton would be a mid-field driver at best, since the car is literally capable of making trained monkeys win titles and puts forward the demand to immediately fire the ungratfeul asshole or else look for a new chief engineer.
Hamilton leaves Mercedes, some replacement driver gets into the car and proceeds to get to the podium in every race.
 
I know I might bring the tone down but remember guys Mercedes was quick in Barcelona with their "first" version if the W13. If the W13B is really a step in the wrong direcxtion Merc might always revert to the first version. Of course if the proposing of the car is really as bad as witnessed these last 2 days the drivers will be in trouble. Hamilton isn't exactly as fit as he was years ago and Corona did a number on him (according to his own statements) And Russell seems to still have problems getting a perfect seat in his car. I personally hope for a Ferrari year Ferrari was my favorite team when I started watching F1 all those years ago and I like their driver combo (close to Norris / Ricciardo)
 
I know I might bring the tone down but remember guys Mercedes was quick in Barcelona with their "first" version if the W13. If the W13B is really a step in the wrong direcxtion Merc might always revert to the first version. Of course if the proposing of the car is really as bad as witnessed these last 2 days the drivers will be in trouble. Hamilton isn't exactly as fit as he was years ago and Corona did a number on him (according to his own statements) And Russell seems to still have problems getting a perfect seat in his car. I personally hope for a Ferrari year Ferrari was my favorite team when I started watching F1 all those years ago and I like their driver combo (close to Norris / Ricciardo)
I might be mistaken, but I think Mercedes was sandbagging hard last season, too.
Maybe they deliberately run some of their softer suspensions to make themselves look like they are struggling with porpoising (or however the fuck it's spelled) while they actually just take the discomfort of their driver while collecting data and once the first race rolls around, porpoising is suddenly no longer an issue.
 
I might be mistaken, but I think Mercedes was sandbagging hard last season, too.
Maybe they deliberately run some of their softer suspensions to make themselves look like they are struggling with porpoising (or however the fuck it's spelled) while they actually just take the discomfort of their driver while collecting data and once the first race rolls around, porpoising is suddenly no longer an issue.
It isn't just the porpoising though, the car looks reluctant to turn and they are both having to fight the wheel though the bends, particularly the low speed ones where all the time is gaoned/lost. It just seems heavy if you get what I mean.

Since the distance from floor to road is absolutely essential this year suspension set up is going to be vital (with the sky pundits suggesting the push/pull rod is going to be thos gen's high/low rake), they would be crazy to deliberately run a less optimal set up there because of the amount of data they would miss out on.

Don't forget with the tiered wind tunnel times Merc get the least this season due to being WCC winners last season. Ferrari have a full 10 hours more tunnel time avaliable to them which is a massive amount in a formula where aero is so important. If it becomes a development race between ferrari and merc that advantage could be vital.
 
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have any of you guys seen DTS yet? they miss a few things but i like it so far. i wish max was in it though
I have not watched them. Not sure if I am a big fan of the show as I just like racing mainly when it comes to F1. I watched one of the seasons (Grosjean crash year I believe) but on a whole, it didn't really have a big impact on me. Not sure your age, but most of us I think have been watching F1 for many decades so maybe that is why its not as enthralling or necessary for me to watch. Not sure about the other regulars.

With that said, I will prob skim through the Eps and no doubt will watch the Abu Dhabi one in full, if not just to relive hearing Toto cry and whine again! LOL

This season's DTS is now an available torrent on Ru tracker as is season 3 of the F2 version "Chasing the Dream". They also have currently a 46GB torrent of the full Bahrain test that will be updated when day 3 ends.

I am wondering @acme if you have watched the Schumacher film as yet? If so, was that any good or did you enjoy it?
 
I have not watched them. Not sure if I am a big fan of the show as I just like racing mainly when it comes to F1. I watched one of the seasons (Grosjean crash year I believe) but on a whole, it didn't really have a big impact on me. Not sure your age, but most of us I think have been watching F1 for many decades so maybe that is why its not as enthralling or necessary for me to watch. Not sure about the other regulars.

With that said, I will prob skim through the Eps and no doubt will watch the Abu Dhabi one in full, if not just to relive hearing Toto cry and whine again! LOL

This season's DTS is now an available torrent on Ru tracker as is season 3 of the F2 version "Chasing the Dream". They also have currently a 46GB torrent of the full Bahrain test that will be updated when day 3 ends.

I am wondering @acme if you have watched the Schumacher film as yet? If so, was that any good or did you enjoy it?
I am younger so maybe thats it but i mainly like it to see some behind the scenes type stuff and popcorn entertainment (also idk how netflix shoots it but the image and sound is insanely crisp) but of corse nothing compares to the actual racing.

I've been meaning to check out the F2 show to hear more about Piastri. and yes I've seen Schumacher, I really liked it.
 
I am younger so maybe thats it but i mainly like it to see some behind the scenes type stuff and popcorn entertainment (also idk how netflix shoots it but the image and sound is insanely crisp) but of corse nothing compares to the actual racing.

I've been meaning to check out the F2 show to hear more about Piastri. and yes I've seen Schumacher, I really liked it.
Ok, thought maybe you might not be too old. As perspective, I was alive when Jim Clark was still racing. LOL So, I get that the DTS show is cool and would be quite enjoyable to newer fans or younger people, I just am not in that demographic.

I think it is great they have it as it is very well done (save for the judicious edits to make some things seem more dramatic) and the video and audio is indeed top notch. I do think they may add or enhance some "crash" type sounds or they have some serious microphones quite near the track. That was one thing that stuck in my head the season I did watch, the sound just seemed a bit too good for some of the action.

But yeah man, if you enjoy it, I definitely encourage you to watch it. Just remember there is a 70 year history to this sport and you would be well served to check out some older videos and documentaries about F1 if you are hooked due to the DTS series. The Quick and the Dead is a mid-70s docu about F1. Stacey Keach (Sgt. Stedenko!-Are you familiar with Cheech & Chong? LOL) narrated it. That one is pretty stark but gives you an idea what it was like to be an F1 driver in what I consider the epic era of F1 (early 60s to mid 70s). If you have not much knowledge of the history of F1, you should look into it as you might be surprised about what t was like when drivers were real men sitting in their coffin on top of a gas tank going 150mph thru rural towns with bales of hay to stop them when they crashed. Or driving through a forest lined with trees. That was how Jim Clark died.

Out of all sports, F1, and motor racing in general, is the one sport where, at least back in the first few decades, you had a 1 in 3 chance of not surviving the season. Many great drivers, (Von Trips, Rindt, Petersen, Cevert, Gilles Villeneuve, Senna, Revson, Siffert, Clark, and many, many more) all died in an F1 event. The early 70s was a rather brutal era with a number dying in just that period. I can't tell you how many fatal accidents in F1 I have had the sad occasion to see. The video of Gilles Villeneuve's death, (being a Canadian myself, knowing he had skills to be a potential world champion and how brutal his accident was) is very hard to watch.

F1 safety has come a long way, last death on track was Senna in 94 and Bianchi had the serious accident that ultimately led to his death in 2014. But from the 50s to early 80s or so, you really were risking life and limb to compete in F1. Not saying today's drivers aren't as brave, but there is a certain luster and shine, in my eyes, when I think of the drivers who competed in the 50s to 80s. As I said, if you enjoy F1 you might find the history of the sport quite interesting.

And if you have not, I hope you join our F1 competition! See @Coccxys earlier post for the join code and enter two teams!
 
I watched one of the seasons (Grosjean crash year I believe)
The adding of Grosjean saying fuck over the radio at an unrelated time before the crash was just ridiculous and unnecessary.


In other news redbull bringing a significant upgrade pace for testing:

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We might get Piastri racing if Ricciardo doesn't recover in time.
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As much as I like Ricciardo it's criminal Piastri isn't racing this year so it would be good if he gets the chance to show what he can do.

Herta signed as McLaren development driver
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I am younger so maybe thats it but i mainly like it to see some behind the scenes type stuff and popcorn entertainment
If you've not done so already, watch Senna. It'll show you why some of us boomers (myself included) consider him to be the GOAT.
 
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Since it's just the thing to do let's make 10 season predictions and can look back at how wrong I was later in the year

  1. All the bloois fanboys that cried they're never watching F1 again after Abu Dhabi will unfortunately still be watching and sitting up social media.
  2. The aforementioned bloois fanboys will decline as the season goes on and bloois isn't winning everything.
  3. I'm going against the grain a bit and predicting a sucessful Max championship defence.
  4. Alpine will put on a poor showing leading to Alonso retiring again and Piastri being signed to Alpine for 23.
  5. Schumacher will keep kmag honest and be there ir there about all season.
  6. Zhou will be the Mazepin of the season.
  7. Baku is going to be a porpoisy hell for a bunch of trams/drivers.
  8. Sainz will beat Leclerc on points again.
  9. We will have at least 1 first time podium finisher (not many in the field yet to achieve that).
  10. We will get a winless season for bloois.

A mix of likely and unlikely predictions to go back to. If I remember I will come back to them in December and see how I did.
 
Lewis Hamilton-Larbalestier

I sense pronouns in Lewis' future.
This is the first sign about Mercedes not being dominant that makes me believe. He's not going to want to show it on the track, he's going to want to work his pull in social justice.

If he ever gets forced out, the decade after filled with Kapernick-style "There's an open seat WHAT ABOUT LEWIS THE BEST DRIVER EVER" posts will at least be funny.
 
Increasingly, Hamilton's actions are seeded in passive aggression. This makes me wonder what perceived slight, or internal family drama, led to his recent name change, and whether he is going to insist upon being referred to by his full moniker in the paddock. Hamilton-Larbalestier is a bit of a mouthful for commentators who are attempting to keep pace with cars whipping around circuits at speeds well in excess of 100mph. It makes me wish Murray Walker was still around to mangle it with his nine-to-the-dozen breakdown of events on track - "And it's Larbleton and Verstappen almost neck and neck as they enter the Nouvelle Chicane, and it's Hamlestier attempting to go around the outside..."

Unless Mercedes absolutely dominate this season, which seems unlikely, I can envisage a full-on Hamilton meltdown. Even after a few months of downtime, he doesn't strike me as emotionally stable. In fact, my far-out prediction for this season, if things do start to go badly for him, is that he takes a mental health break. He has arguably become a liability to the sport and this may be the season where he becomes a liability to his team also.

I hope that I am wrong. As much as I dislike Hamilton, I would love to see him return focused and ready to tangle with any driver that can put their car alongside his. However, in what promises to be, if not a vintage season, then at very least an interesting one, populated by absolutely stunning cars, the drama on the circuit may be overshadowed by Hamilton's personal turmoil.
 
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