Formula 1 2022

[Hroth]

Woke up in time to catch the Q1 part of highlights.

Hmmmmmm....

 

Mercedes still haven't got the cars sorted, though it's nice to see both the Ferraris at the front of the grid as a bit of a consolation.  Mr Bean will be miffed, there could be argy-bargy if he has problems getting through T1.

 

I don't like the aesthetics of the "street style" Miami track.  I can appreciate the need for the intrusive barriering as there's no room for safe distancing for the grandstands and pit lane, but to carry on the Berlin Walls for the whole track makes it look like the designer was more familiar with Skinner Boxes or Formula E tracks. Perhaps that was the intention going forward? 

 

Hey Ho!

 

Update:  It just struck me what the track reminded me of, a CJ Freezer Rabbit Warren OO9 layout, or the desperate attempts of someone with a train set, trying to get as much into a 6x4 baseboard as they dared, R1 curves and all!

 

OR  One of those Minix track layouts in the back of old Triang Hornby catalogues.

 

It should be easy to replicate without too much compression in Scalextric...

 

 

Edited May 8, 2022 by Hroth
More unreasonable thorts

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

I watched the first W Series race this morning, followed by F1 qually. The track has some quite interesting areas that will hopefully promote good racing and punish the careless or aggressive drivers, but it looks absolutely dreadful, like something out of Grand Theft Auto or similar video games. This is obviously the audience Liberty Media are focussing on now, instead of the core market of motorsport enthusiasts.

[njee20]

It looks like so many of the US race series; IndyCar, NASCAR etc. Just a featureless, barriered tarmac strip. Hamilton's assessment of the "supermarket car park" section under the flyover before the long straight looks spot on, bizarre. 

 

The 'marina' is ridiculous. But then the whole thing is basically in the car park of the Hard Rock stadium, so not sure what I expect!

 

Shame that Merc couldn't hold their P2 performance, and shame to see Russell going out in Q2. I imagine this represents the Mercedes engineers right now!

 

[didcot]

😴😴😴😴

[Darius43]

The safety car did liven the race up somewhat.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[didcot]

One word....perhaps two ....over hyped!

[Darius43]

Still better than the French GP.  Then again so was my drive to Asda this morning.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[didcot]

And the top three go on to the podium in NFL helmets!  A new all time low. 

 

Edited May 8, 2022 by didcot

[Pete the Elaner]

51 minutes ago, Darius43 said:

The safety car did liven the race up somewhat.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

Which means it is not working properly. The safety car is supposed to make the track safe for marshals, not affect the race.

If screwing with the race to provide a spectacle was the aim, they would get a random number generated then throw in a "spice it up car" instead of a safety car.

I really don't like it bunching the field up, although there is no way this can be helped because the 'clear time' is what makes the track safe.

There is no need to let cars stop for tyres or let lapped cars un-lap themselves.

[john new]

On 07/05/2022 at 21:38, RJS1977 said:

I suspect it's more because the BBC only has the right to provide audio commentary within the UK - other broadcasters will have similar rights in their own countries and may not be too happy if people were listening to the BBC commentary instead.

Equally silly restrictions in football. 

[Hroth]

3 hours ago, didcot said:

And the top three go on to the podium in NFL helmets!  A new all time low. 

 

 

Don't think that would worry Mr Bean, as far as he's concerned it's the winning that counts*, and a bonus point for fastest lap too**. Pothunter! Mercedes are obviously still having problems with their cars but I imagine that not having to participate in such indignities must have been a relief!

 

* Yes, I know they all want to win, but there's winning with sportsmanship and winning by gamesmanship.

** Something else that ought to be disposed of.

 

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by Hroth
just a little bit more...

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

I’ve got nothing against Verstappen wanting to be a win machine, it’s his hypocrisy and lack of sportsmanship I dislike.

 

As for the Miami GP, it was so terminally dull I had more enjoyment watching the World Endurance Championship being rained off at Spa. Even the red flagged periods were more exciting than yesterday’s snooze-fest.

[davy crockett]

Nice drive by MV and GR.

[Oldddudders]

My 'watching' largely consisted of staring at the BBC 'Latest' F1 page, which had a live feed to positions and gaps. I occasionally reverted to their descriptive pages, but those seemed to miss much of what I was interpreting, which certainly looked a like a procession.

 

At least, as I had suggested here a few days ago, Merc left nothing on the table. They couldn't live with the four cars ahead, but made the most of what they could do. And George is clearly no Bottas. 

 

It was good to see Sainz manage a race-distance! 

[PaulRhB]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

It was good to see Sainz manage a race-distance! 

Yes that hopefully breaks any cycle of doubt building. 

[Hroth]

I've a feeling that both Mercedes and Hamilton knew that this season was going to be a washout before it started, and the "will he/won't he sign a new contract" before the start was less to do with the shenanigans of the last season and more to do with Mercedes persuading Hamilton to take the hit of an unproductive season (grit his teeth at Mr Bean posing about, etc) and mentor Russell in his first season with the team.

 

Perhaps they'll discover the incantation that will make the car work, as it did at one stage in the practices over the weekend, sooner rather than later and make the racing at the front a bit more exciting and unpredictable.

 

Oh well....

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by Hroth

[woodenhead]

13 minutes ago, Hroth said:

mentor Russell in his first season with the team.

 

So thats why he drives behind Russell, so he can watch his driving technique and advise on how to improve. 😆

[Andrew P]

26 minutes ago, Hroth said:

I've a feeling that both Mercedes and Hamilton knew that this season was going to be a washout before it started, and the "will he/won't he sign a new contract" before the start was less to do with the shenanigans of the last season and more to do with Mercedes persuading Hamilton to take the hit of an unproductive season (grit his teeth at Mr Bean posing about, etc) and mentor Russell in his first season with the team.

 

Perhaps they'll discover the incantation that will make the car work, as it did at one stage in the practices over the weekend, sooner rather than later and make the racing at the front a bit more exciting and unpredictable.

 

Oh well....

 

Lewis already had a contract for this year having signed a 2 year extension for 21/22, it was more a case of shall I honor it, or use a get out clause.

It will be interesting to see if he goes for 23/24, and try for that 8th title, but with GR keep beating him so far, my hot money is on retirement.

[ess1uk]

On 03/05/2022 at 12:43, Oldddudders said:

Tailgating is a way of life in France, Stick to the limit and someone will try to kiss your boot. But make no attempt to pass on clear, straight stretches. Come to a roundabout, and as I accelerate, I watch them recede in the distance.  Even before the present fuel price increases, the French were determined to save fuel. But then tailgate. 

are they saving fuel by drafting? you punch the hole in the air and they follow? :)

[LNERandBR]

To be honest, George has had better throws of the dice then Lewis when it comes to Safety Cars. He's gained from that at a number of races now whilst Lewis has lost out.

 

Safety Car periods seem to be against Lewis currently it seems. Either letting others get free stops to come out ahead or to be on fresh rubber.

 

In this case, if George had to pit without the SC he would have lost more places and may not have been under Lewis's rear wing by the end.

 

I do hope that Merc are able to get on top of their issues at somepoint this season. 

[woodenhead]

Hamilton never seems to benefit from safety car periods, even last year - the final race, had Mercedes been on their strategy then perhaps at the very end Hamilton wouldn't have been on dead tyres and Verstappen would not have been able to coast past to victory.

 

It's a real weak spot for Mercedes, other teams are much more aggressive when it comes to safety cars, Mercedes seem to play it safe.  Russell having come from a team that would need to take advantage of safety cars perhaps is better at judging calls and he has got them right to the detriment of Hamilton.  Perhaps another indicator of the benefit in driving for a struggling team rather than being thrust straight into a top team, you get to think about strategy from a very different perspective.

[woodenhead]

Here's another thought, Russell by virtue of the car's issues is having a good baptism at a front team, the expectations are off, Mercedes are the third best team and a podium is a bonus not an expectation presently.  Gives him plenty of time to bed in and when the car is flying he will certainly be a threat (race wise) to all those around him.

[Pete the Elaner]

1 hour ago, woodenhead said:

Hamilton never seems to benefit from safety car periods, even last year - the final race, had Mercedes been on their strategy then perhaps at the very end Hamilton wouldn't have been on dead tyres and Verstappen would not have been able to coast past to victory.

 

It's a real weak spot for Mercedes, other teams are much more aggressive when it comes to safety cars, Mercedes seem to play it safe.  Russell having come from a team that would need to take advantage of safety cars perhaps is better at judging calls and he has got them right to the detriment of Hamilton.  Perhaps another indicator of the benefit in driving for a struggling team rather than being thrust straight into a top team, you get to think about strategy from a very different perspective.

 

Mercedes strategy in Abu Dhabi wasn't wrong. Masi stitched them up by changing the procedure. Pitting them would have gifted Verstappen the title if any known procedure had been followed...& he only changed the procedure after being pressured to do so by the Red Bull team.

 

Russell got lucky yesterday because the SC fell in his pit window. It was just as likely to happen on lap 15, which would have been frustrating for him but played into the hands of others.

They were going to put Hamilton on soft tyres & I initially wondered if these would last, but then they did nothing. Maybe they had no more mediums. Hamilton did flat-spot a set during practise so he may have been a set short.

I agree that Mercedes don't appear to be as pro-active as some about safety cars though. The teams should be constantly trying to work out their strategy lap by lap to prepare themselves for a safety car at any time, so when an incident occurs, they already know the best reaction.

 

I still dislike being able to change tyres behind a safety car or during a red flag. There is no need & it unnecessarily screws with the race. But it is within the rules, so it is a valid part of the strategy.

[woodenhead]

4 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

Mercedes strategy in Abu Dhabi wasn't wrong. Masi stitched them up by changing the procedure. Pitting them would have gifted Verstappen the title if any known procedure had been followed...& he only changed the procedure after being pressured to do so by the Red Bull team.

 

I would argue they are weak at the pit stop strategy, I know that once Max pitted it was game over, but Mercedes need to figure out how they get on the front foot - they allowed themselves to fall into a position where whatever Mercedes did, Red Bull could do the opposite and win.

 

Masi might have made mistakes be it on purpose or through misinterpretation, but it was really game over for Hamilton on that last safety car regardless because Mercedes strategy had placed him in such a vulerable position in the first place.  There were a lot of unforced errors if I recall last year when it came to pit stops and pit stop strategy for Mercedes, it was the chink in their armour.

[Pete the Elaner]

47 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

I would argue they are weak at the pit stop strategy, I know that once Max pitted it was game over, but Mercedes need to figure out how they get on the front foot - they allowed themselves to fall into a position where whatever Mercedes did, Red Bull could do the opposite and win.

 

Masi might have made mistakes be it on purpose or through misinterpretation, but it was really game over for Hamilton on that last safety car regardless because Mercedes strategy had placed him in such a vulerable position in the first place.  There were a lot of unforced errors if I recall last year when it came to pit stops and pit stop strategy for Mercedes, it was the chink in their armour.

 

I agree that they were not as sharp as could have been on certain occasions, but the only thing they did wrong in Abu Dhabi was to be leading in the first place.

 

The only reason Red Bull could choose the opposite was because Verstappen was 12 seconds behind & Bottas was not close enough to be in his pit window. We have often heard the call "do the opposite of the car in front". You can hardly base your strategy on what the car behind does before they have done it.