Motorsports Thread

[Reynard]

I heard it mentioned on the radio commentary last week.

Not sure what's going on here, because I'm sure the rules state that pump fuel must be used. Or at least they did...

But last time we went through this with Ferrari, the FIA were turning a blind eye to them cooling their fuel to get more into the tank. Which is why they were able to run at a higher fuel flow rate than everyone else. It's as much of a fix as Abu Dhabi last season in a way. Ferrari being successful lines their pockets.

Call me skeptical or what...

 

[FishFright]

I've heard those rumours as well, the question is , is it legal?

According to Red Bull it isn't illegal but Shell have just done a better job.

Petronas on the other hand may not doing be so great a job. FP3 times for Mercedes powered cars not looking good .

 

[Illaveago]

The qualifying seemed very odd ! The Mercedes engine seems to be down on power compared to the rest. Also Verstappen made an interesting comment in that the same compound of tyres behaved differently from one another . I think it was his second set of soft tyres were slippery . If there is an inconsistency in the quality of the tyres it will make setting up a car difficult.

 

[Reynard]

I think by the end of this season, we're going to have an additional volume to The Encyclopedia of Racing Drivers' Excuses...

N.B. I didn't coin that phrase, but a friend who is a former racing driver did.

 

[Jody]

Massive shunt from Mick Schumacher.

You've got to wonder whether the new cars led to that. You could see the rear of the car bouncing as he was coming out of the left hander and he lost grip which sent him over the kerb.

 

[Jody]

The qualifying seemed very odd ! The Mercedes engine seems to be down on power compared to the rest. Also Verstappen made an interesting comment in that the same compound of tyres behaved differently from one another . I think it was his second set of soft tyres were slippery . If there is an inconsistency in the quality of the tyres it will make setting up a car difficult.

With engines and fuel devolpement frozen it's not looking good for them.

 

[Reynard]

Massive shunt from Mick Schumacher.

You've got to wonder whether the new cars led to that. You could see the rear of the car bouncing as he was coming out of the left hander and he lost grip which sent him over the kerb.

That's the downside of generating downforce with a venturi. As soon as you break that suction, there's virtually no grip at all. Was one of the reasons ground effect cars were banned for the '83 season.

Drivers will have to learn that you can't bounce these cars off the kerbs.

 

[Jody]

Wonder if they'll do any in depth analysis on sky or not draw too much attention to it being the second race of the new regulations?

Imagine going through eau rouge or some of the other high speed corners with the current porpoising.

Although eau rouge and a few other corners have now been redesigned slightly.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

That's the downside of generating downforce with a venturi. As soon as you break that suction, there's virtually no grip at all. Was one of the reasons ground effect cars were banned for the '83 season.

Drivers will have to learn that you can't bounce these cars off the kerbs.

I thought he'd dropped a wheel behind the raised kerb and beached it and that had started the accident.

 

[Beebo]

I thought he'd dropped a wheel behind the raised kerb and beached it and that had started the accident.

But if he did that in last year’s car he would have had more chance of recovering the situation. Now the car loses all downforce as soon as it jumps the kerb.

 

[Reynard]

But if he did that in last year’s car he would have had more chance of recovering the situation. Now the car loses all downforce as soon as it jumps the kerb.

Exactly.

Because the generation of downforce now relies almost completely on clean and uninterrupted airflow under the car. Disrupt that, and the car is heading off into the scenery.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

They will have to drive more precisely.

Previous gens have allowed ridiculous liberties to be taken over kerbs, I think - cf the images of F1 cars a foot or so in the air.

 

[Reynard]

That's racing drivers, though - give them an inch and they'll take a mile. Changes to the circuits have, in a way, encouraged that in recent years, namely that there's not much of a penalty if you make a mistake. Back in the day, get it wrong, and you'd be stuck in the kitty litter. Now it's all tarmac run-offs. They are safer (mostly) but with the jeopardy of gravel traps taken away, it definitely has changed the drivers' mindsets.

In a kind of backwards way, these ground effect cars have re-introduced that element of jeopardy. Which the drivers will have to learn to respect. Although having felt the personal impact that a fatal motor racing accident brings, I really do not like seeing incidents like we had yesterday on a regular basis.

But this is something we've seen time and again every time the regulations change drastically. Some drivers are quick to adapt, others do not. This new generation of car will definitely reward drivers with a smoother, more progressive way of driving, than those who like to grab a car by the short and curlies and haul it kicking and screaming around the circuit.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Agree. The best will continue to be the best.

I was always more of a Prost than a Mansell kind of guy, iyswim.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

That's racing drivers, though - give them an inch and they'll take a mile. Changes to the circuits have, in a way, encouraged that in recent years, namely that there's not much of a penalty if you make a mistake. Back in the day, get it wrong, and you'd be stuck in the kitty litter. Now it's all tarmac run-offs. They are safer (mostly) but with the jeopardy of gravel traps taken away, it definitely has changed the drivers' mindsets.

Maybe they need not only a white line but a red line, if the car crosses the red line with all 4 wheels it's classed as an 'Off road excursion' and the driver gets a 5 second penalty, brings back the danger of the kitty litter