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

[naYoRHa2b]

Mercedes Petronas is about to become Mercedes Aramco. Just when you thought you couldn't get enough of the Saudi sports washing. A couple of years after Ineos invested 2 billion in Saudi Aramco. Writing was on the wall I guess.

[Linudden]

Another one on the reasons for absolutely despising everything about that team then 

[voodoo ray]

https://cdn-1.motorsport.com/survey/2021/2021-f1-global-fan-survey-motorsportnetwork.pdf

[gazzalfc]

Very surprised they made those results transparent.

Nothing in there is very surprising. It's still way too expensive to go to races. Lack of overtaking is a big issue. Silverstone, Monza, Monaco and Spa are the favourite tracks. Pay TV is a pain but prefer to watch entire race.

[Dave McCoy]

Ricciardo has been hilarious this week so far.  The outfits, bad accent and Dale Earnhardt tribute are going to win him some fans.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Bottas taking a new power unit.

[voodoo ray]

just the engine by all accounts, 10 place drop.

the more the merrier.

[Funky_Gibbons]

just the engine by all accounts, 10 place drop.

the more the merrier.

Only 5 places apparently.

You get a 10 place penalty for your 4th engine and 5 place penalty for any other engine after that.

I’m sure there’s a valid reason for that…..

[west_london_red]

Something odd going on there surely. He’s had like 3 engines in 4 or 5 races now?

[jillcwhomever]

It looks such a bumpy track.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Love this helmet cam.

[west_london_red]

Mercedes Petronas is about to become Mercedes Aramco. Just when you thought you couldn't get enough of the Saudi sports washing. A couple of years after Ineos invested 2 billion in Saudi Aramco. Writing was on the wall I guess.

Didn’t Petronas deny the story?

[Funky_Gibbons]

Did Anthony Davidson say Mercedes are going to release some information soon on why they’re so much faster in the straights now?

[voodoo ray]

Did Anthony Davidson say Mercedes are going to release some information soon on why they’re so much faster in the straights now?

I'd love it if the information was just a child's drawing of an F1 car with a giant "ZOOOOOOM" coming out of the back.

[Funky_Gibbons]

I'd love it if the information was just a child's drawing of an F1 car with a giant "ZOOOOOOM" coming out of the back.

Or

[voodoo ray]

toto wolff with the 'you're being fed with a lot of bullshit' live on sky.

[west_london_red]

This isn’t looking good for Verstappen or Red Bull if the practice times are anything to go by.

[TepidT2O]

This isn’t looking good for Verstappen or Red Bull if the practice times are anything to go by.

theyll be fine come qualifying

[Funky_Gibbons]

Yeah Whorener was saying Mercedes were running a higher engine mode than usual for FP1 so you’d expect Red Bull to have more performance in the bag.

[west_london_red]

theyll be fine come qualifying

If it was just Verstappen I could see where your coming from, but with the Mercedes a second ahead of Verstappen and Verstappen 0.5 seconds ahead of the rest I’m not seeing what your seeing.

[Linudden]

It's not 0.9 seconds but Red Bull have some work to do. That being said, the track is very green and unrepresentative in FP1 and Max knows he'll be on the front row anyway with Bottas' grid penalty to there's no reason for him to turn up the engine and practice for a qualifying which will have vastly different track conditions. If there's one track where qualifying speed means nothing it's Austin. It's the ultimate tyre-eater and race pace is everything. Ferrari almost grabbed pole with Vettel in 2019 but lost 1 s/lap in race trim due to the tyres going the way of the dinosaurs within a few laps.

As for today then, Ferrari presumably run their old engines during Fridays to save on the new one so those times are unpresentative as well. As for the others, this is simply not a McLaren track and the layout is way too complicated for Checo to get a handle on it in this car the first day.

[west_london_red]

The commentators are talking about some device on the Mercedes that adjusts the ride height and rake of the car, reduces the drag of the car and that’s where the speed is coming from on the straights.

[voodoo ray]

The commentators are talking about some device on the Mercedes that adjusts the ride height and rake of the car, reduces the drag of the car and that’s where the speed is coming from on the straights.

The footage di resta was showing in fp1 seemed to show quite a change at the rear of the car

[Funky_Gibbons]

Wouldn’t that be considered a movable aerodynamic device though?

[west_london_red]

I was thinking it’s more like active suspension and that’s still banned I believe but I would assume they have found a way around that such that whatever they are doing isn’t active suspension and is legal.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Horner saying they don’t have an issue with the device.

[west_london_red]

Horner saying they don’t have an issue with the device.

Well assuming it’s not illegal he can’t have a problem with it, and I’m sure Red Bull will be working busily on their own version. Active suspension was a game changer for Williams back in the day so the performance gains from something similar have always been known, just interesting how Mercedes have managed to keep it legal.

Still very intrigued with what’s going on with Bottas’s engines though.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Well assuming it’s not illegal he can’t have a problem with it, and I’m sure Red Bull will be working busily on their own version. Active suspension was a game changer for Williams back in the day so the performance gains from something similar have always been known, just interesting how Mercedes have managed to keep it legal.

Still very intrigued with what’s going on with Bottas’s engines though.

It might not be something that Li’s easy to incorporate into a current car design. Mercedes could have been working on this for a while with the intention to add it to the car sometime this year.

I’m looking forward to the details too.

[west_london_red]

It might not be something that Li’s easy to incorporate into a current car design. Mercedes could have been working on this for a while with the intention to add it to the car sometime this year.

I’m looking forward to the details too.

Completely, when I say Red Bull are busy working on their own version I’m talking about for next year, it was like DAS last year, Red Bull were quite open in saying it was too complicated to add in to the car and they became aware of it in pre-season testing.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Just found this;

Mercedes are expertly utilising the diffuser stall which all #F1 teams try to maximise in the straights.

In contrast to Paul Di Resta's claims of Mercedes running a "device," in fact this is a mechanical result of legal suspension upgrades and the team's low rake concept.

[TepidT2O]

Just found this;

Mercedes are expertly utilising the diffuser stall which all #F1 teams try to maximise in the straights.

In contrast to Paul Di Resta's claims of Mercedes running a "device," in fact this is a mechanical result of legal suspension upgrades and the team's low rake concept.

Yeah, as I understand it, compression of the rear suspension and some fancy aero  tweaks has allowed them to stall the rear diffuser.  But their concept is really only going to work for low rake cars….  (Maybe high rake cars already do this?)

[Funky_Gibbons]

Yeah, as I understand it, compression of the rear suspension and some fancy aero  tweaks has allowed them to stall the rear diffuser.  But their concept is really only going to work for low rake cars….  (Maybe high rake cars already do this?)

Just found this which kinda answers your question;

The suspension settings are not changing it's the geometry which is naturally moving under load. It's just that Mercedes and their low rake concept means when the height and angle changes it works more noticably to their advantage.

So maybe it wouldn’t be as effective on the Red Bull.

[jillcwhomever]

Haha, Virgil has just been chatting to Max on the F1 show on Sky. Needless to say Max is hoping we win tomorrow, so cut him some slack guys. 

[west_london_red]

BBC saying there’s a crack on Verstappens rear wing and they are gluing it, while a rear wing takes a bit longer to change then a front they can surely just swap it? There’s no penalty for changing wings as far as I am aware?

[TepidT2O]

BBC saying there’s a crack on Verstappens rear wing and they are gluing it, while a rear wing takes a bit longer to change then a front they can surely just swap it? There’s no penalty for changing wings as far as I am aware?

Well they glued Hamilton’s front wing too.

I suspect that cost is the issue $150,000 or so when you could glue it isn’t a difficult choice

[jillcwhomever]

40% chance of rain.

[voodoo ray]

BBC saying there’s a crack on Verstappens rear wing and they are gluing it, while a rear wing takes a bit longer to change then a front they can surely just swap it? There’s no penalty for changing wings as far as I am aware?

They swapped it in 3rd practice.

[voodoo ray]

It would appear the worries after fp1 were unfounded.

[Van Halen]

Ricciardo has been hilarious this week so far.  The outfits, bad accent and Dale Earnhardt tribute are going to win him some fans.

Indeed he has!  I've loved it and folks eating it up.
His drive in the Dale #3 today, including donuts, blow-out and seeing his reactions have been superb.
Infectious personality.

[west_london_red]

Well they glued Hamilton’s front wing too.

I suspect that cost is the issue $150,000 or so when you could glue it isn’t a difficult choice

Good point, I’m guessing what they use is a bit stronger then PVA!