Topic: The 2021 Formula 1 “Gives you whinge…”

[voodoo ray]

they can't have that on the car in pretty much any races anyway

[IgorBobbins]

they can't have that on the car in pretty much any races anyway

I know. Still a strange design choice, though. How is it in any way aesthetically pleasing?  It’s like having teal on a traditionally red and white footie shirt   

[paulrazor]

that is horrible

[voodoo ray]

without the thing that won't be on the car anyway it might look alright. though the darker bit at the back might just look a bit burnt.

[Skeeve]

Always loved Imola on the video games - looks a great flowing drive.  I know it's narrow and doesn't have much in the way of slow/fast sections, so isn't the best for overtaking but - a bit like a countryside version of Albert Park - there's just a flow to it I really like.

F1 would be boring if everything was geared towards overtaking opportunities anyway - got to be some circuits/races that place an emphasis on things like qualifying & strategy instead.  It's the field spread that is the bigger issue.

There's room for a few circuits like that, but isn't the issue these days are that the cars turn most tracks into qualifying & strategy instead?

Nice vid, is the steering wheel blurred out as the design is confidential?

[clinical]

I can’t bloody wait for the new season. I’ll probably even watch lots of the testing - that’s how sad I am 

I'd rather watch that than any football right now to be honest.

[voodoo ray]

I'll have testing on the telly, it's something to shove on while working from home.

The way they've put it on at a weekend isn't great though. Not that my weekends are all that different to the weekdays as things are.

[jackh]

There's room for a few circuits like that, but isn't the issue these days are that the cars turn most tracks into qualifying & strategy instead?

Yes!  That's what I mean - circuits aren't (usually) the issue; it's a fundamental issue with the 'formula' itself inhibiting the ability to race.

I guess you could liken it to tennis - presumably nobody would want all of the Grand Slam courts to be clay, much as how - in Formula One - we wouldn't want all circuits to be big stop, long straight, big stop artificial overtake-fests.

[jackh]

I can’t bloody wait for the new season. I’ll probably even watch lots of the testing - that’s how sad I am 

I might have it on for the first day, but I'll likely just stick to the round-up and notebook shows.

On that, actually, do Sky Sports F1 do a round-up show of the support series'?  I always quite fancy taking in some of the F2, F3, and the W-Series but - as mentioned in another post - it's all so bloody time consuming!

[Qston]

Ferrari. Only one thing for it. 

[jackh]

Ferrari. Only one thing for it. 

That's an impressive colour-match.

[bradders1011]

If Ferrari don't make steps towards respectability this season, after that livery, well...sparano ai cavalli, no?

[Graeme]

Fastest lap time from each session from the Bahrain GP last year for comparison during the testing...

P1 - Hamilton (MERCEDES) 1:29.033
P2 - Hamilton (MERCEDES)   1:28.971
P3 - Verstappen (RED BULL) 1:28.355

Q1 - Hamilton (MERCEDES) 1:28.343
Q2 - Hamilton (MERCEDES) 1:27.586
Q3 - Hamilton (MERCEDES) 1:27.264

Race - Verstappen (RED BULL) 1:32.014

[jackh]

Silverstone will host new F1 sprint race before 2021 British Grand Prix

• Saturday race will be a third of length of Sunday’s GP
• ‘It will give fans more content,’ says Stefano Domenicali
  

Silverstone has been chosen to host one of the first sprint races before this year’s British Grand Prix, it was reported on Thursday.

The Formula One chief executive, Stefano Domenicali, said the Northamptonshire circuit is among the three venues that will trial the new format this season. Friday’s second practice session is expected to be replaced by qualifying to make up the grid for Saturday’s shortened race, which will be approximately a third of the length of Sunday’s grand prix.

“We are finalising the intricacies of it,” Domenicali told the Daily Mail, with those details due to be discussed further at a meeting in Bahrain on Thursday. “For sure we do not want to take away the prestige of the grand prix itself. That will remain the climax of the weekend.

“We will have the qualifying on Friday and then ‘sprint qualifying’ on Saturday. It will provide some meaningful action the day before the race. It will give fans, media and broadcasters more content. It will last about half an hour. There will be no podium celebration. That will wait until Sunday.

“But points will be awarded – how many is yet to be decided – towards the world championship and determine the grid for the race itself. What I can say is that Silverstone will hold a sprint race.”

The Italian, Brazilian and Canadian Grands Prix are reportedly the contenders to host the other two sprint race trials.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/mar/11/silverstone-f1-sprint-race-british-gp

[Welshred]

Oh thats interesting...I've got weekend tickets for Silverstone this year but was planning on heading up on the Friday evening. If quali is Friday afternoon that changes everything.

[Skeeve]

Not keen on it counting towards the grid, won't that either invalidate qualifying or force them to make it all too contrived to make both relevant and they shouldn't be awarding championship points while it is a trial either.

[CraigDS]

Not keen on it counting towards the grid, won't that either invalidate qualifying or force them to make it all too contrived to make both relevant and they shouldn't be awarding championship points while it is a trial either.

Yeah, not a fan either. And not a fan of it giving points either - will just create a bigger gap between the front and the rest.

[Skeeve]

Aren't there usually other races during an F1 weekend anyway?

[rob1966]

Always loved Imola on the video games - looks a great flowing drive.  I know it's narrow and doesn't have much in the way of slow/fast sections, so isn't the best for overtaking but - a bit like a countryside version of Albert Park - there's just a flow to it I really like.

F1 would be boring if everything was geared towards overtaking opportunities anyway - got to be some circuits/races that place an emphasis on things like qualifying & strategy instead.  It's the field spread that is the bigger issue.

Anyway - enjoy...

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo</a>

I tend to amend video frame ratios to 500,400 (see code above) but it never quite looks right - anyone know what's best?

Spoiler

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ncGNJK0ydFo</a>

[close]

 

I came across this today, Senna chasing Prost before THAT incident at Suzuka in 1989. I did embed it, but it will only play on You Tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5diMkNEgQYM

[naYoRHa2b]

I'm willing to see how a sprint race goes. We very rarely have cars being driven flat out because of tyre management and such, I wouldn't mind the drivers being able to push more because of the shorter race length.

[bradders1011]

However when Ferrari launched its new SF21 yesterday a large Mission Winnow logo on the car’s engine cover appeared in a new bright green hue. The significant departure from Ferrari’s past liveries was widely commented on.

Philip Morris International spokesperson Tommaso Di Giovanni said this anticipated reaction was part of the reason for the change.

“From the start, Mission Winnow has always experimented with its visual identity,” he said. “Much like a green screen does for film, the green arrow represents possibility and opens the opportunity to imagine new horizons.

“Regardless of opinions about the colour, sparking debate and creating dialogue is exactly what Mission Winnow is meant to do. We have consistently encouraged people to place their preconceptions about our company aside and to open their mind to the transformation we are going through.

“More broadly, Mission Winnow focus on promoting [and] driving positive change, fostering engagement and opening conversations around the role that science, technology and innovation can play in helping to address a range of societal challenges – now and into the future.”

Wow. If Ferrari's engine is as good as Philip Morris' marketing bullshit generator...

https://www.racefans.net/2021/03/11/ferrari-sponsor-explains-surprise-change-to-bright-green-logo/

[west_london_red]

I still don’t understand the rationale (other then financial) behind the sprint races. A race of 30 mins won’t mix anything up for the actual race unless there’s safety cars involved, it will just mean that that the faster cars and drivers will make their way to the front in the sprint race eventually and then start at the front for the actual race.

Please tell me I’m missing something.

[SP]

I still don’t understand the rationale (other then financial) behind the sprint races. A race of 30 mins won’t mix anything up for the actual race unless there’s safety cars involved, it will just mean that that the faster cars and drivers will make their way to the front in the sprint race eventually and then start at the front for the actual race.

Please tell me I’m missing something.

Far more out of position drivers who DNF the sprint race.

[Qston]

Nice to see some cars out. The Ferrari looks even worse "in the flesh" !

[bradders1011]

The Williams is actually not bad looking on track.

[voodoo ray]

the aston does thankfully look better on track on the telly.

[bradders1011]

Well the "getting back to the pits after a failure" part of Ferrari's shakedown was a success.

[Qston]

the aston does thankfully look better on track on the telly.

I thought so to.

Testing for us fans is to just really see the cars back out on track. Doesn`t tell any of us a great deal as usual. Inevitably there will be mention of "sandbagging" but invariably it's nonsense. No one truly knows until qualifying for the first race. What you can usually tell is which cars are the shittest ! they tend to stick out. Given the development of the likes of Williams last season I don`t think there will be a team that is miles behind anyone. It will the usual suspects at the front with the limited changes to the cars.

As for next season however......

[IgorBobbins]

It’s difficult to see much through this sandstorm.

Darude, where’s my car?

[voodoo ray]

bizarre seeing the sand being churned up like that

[Qston]

Can't be good for the engines this

[voodoo ray]

numbers on the merc really aren't very visible on telly. something should be done about that

[bradders1011]

Ugh.

[voodoo ray]

buxton with an anakin skywalker reference there on comms which nobody else in the box seemed to get

[IgorBobbins]

buxton with an anakin skywalker reference there on comms which nobody else in the box seemed to get

I can sympathise. There was no love for my topical pop culture joke I made earlier on here.   

[voodoo ray]

I can sympathise. There was no love for my topical pop culture joke I made earlier on here.   

Oh I got it. I just think that tune has been used in so many different places over the years that I just largely blank it out now.

[IgorBobbins]

Oh I got it. I just think that tune has been used in so many different places over the years that I just largely blank it out now.

I’ll go away and work on my material, Ray 

Merc having a bit of a shocker so far. Very early days, though.

[Welshred]

Yeah it's not been a very good day for Merc at all has it?!

[voodoo ray]

55 looks weird on a ferrari.

[Skeeve]

55 looks weird on a ferrari.

Perhaps they should try driving faster than that then.