F1 World Championship 2013 Thread

[123456789A]

Go go Alonso!

[simonlang]

most boring race so far. but it has also a good effect, in fact niki lauda confirmed that what redbull/mercedes were hoping for, that pirelli will bring new tire compounds to barcelona.

[TheLegendOfMart]

In what parallel universe was that race boring, I really enjoyed it, oh I forgot you are an Alonso hater, that's why.

[simonlang]

well no i dont mind what driver wins and where the race was held (despite montreal being my favourite race track and my fave race driver is not racing anymore) i just look at the numbers. in melbourne it was clear after 2/3rd of race distance that raikkonen will win (10 sec. gap), in malaysia it was unclear who will win till few rounds before end (best race this year so far), however in china after 2/3rd of race distance alonso had a 20 sec gap and it was everything said and done.

well and with the tire compounds i am not alone to complain. horner, whitmarsh, brawn, etc. they all think the same and therefore there will be harder compounds in barcelona and hopefully a clearer picture of driver/car performance.

[MightyJordan]

In what parallel universe was that race boring, I really enjoyed it, oh I forgot you are an Alonso hater, that's why.

Yeah, there was nothing boring about that race. Surprisingly no safety car periods at all, despite a couple of wrecks, and Webber's tyre coming off. And the ending was pretty intense between Hamilton and Vettel. I really thought that Caterham was gonna cost Lewis the podium spot, but he managed to hold on by the skin of his teeth. If there was one more lap, he'd have been a goner.

[starbearer]

Bit off topic, but is it just me, or the Caterham car looks really ugly. From whichever angle, anytime it comes up on the screen, it looks as if someone forgot whether it was a F1 car, or a lawn mower they were supposed to design. I'd have kept my mouth shut if they were going faster than Marussia, but they're in fact,slow.

[Lingwo]

Bit off topic, but is it just me, or the Caterham car looks really ugly. From whichever angle, anytime it comes up on the screen, it looks as if someone forgot whether it was a F1 car, or a lawn mower they were supposed to design. I'd have kept my mouth shut if they were going faster than Marussia, but they're in fact,slow.

I agree, They've taken a massive step back. Past couple of years my money was on them breaking into Q2 more often but now they're struggling to not finish last. I think they made a mistake with getting rid of Kovalainen.

[MightyJordan]

Bit off topic, but is it just me, or the Caterham car looks really ugly. From whichever angle, anytime it comes up on the screen, it looks as if someone forgot whether it was a F1 car, or a lawn mower they were supposed to design. I'd have kept my mouth shut if they were going faster than Marussia, but they're in fact,slow.

I'm probably in the minority, but I quite like the styling of the Caterham car (mainly the paint job). The only thing I really don't like is the step nose, which is also on the Red Bull, the Lotus, and to a lesser extent, the Marussia.

[Noir Angel]

I am in agreement with the teams on the tyres, seeing drivers having to reduce their speed to save tyres does nothing for the spectacle.

[Chasethebase Veteran]

well no i dont mind what driver wins and where the race was held (despite montreal being my favourite race track and my fave race driver is not racing anymore) i just look at the numbers. in melbourne it was clear after 2/3rd of race distance that raikkonen will win (10 sec. gap), in malaysia it was unclear who will win till few rounds before end (best race this year so far), however in china after 2/3rd of race distance alonso had a 20 sec gap and it was everything said and done.

well and with the tire compounds i am not alone to complain. horner, whitmarsh, brawn, etc. they all think the same and therefore there will be harder compounds in barcelona and hopefully a clearer picture of driver/car performance.

Really, it was up until the point where Alonso pitted at the end of the race where it wasn't completely sealed, and since he managed to pass Vettel before he had to pit it sealed the deal. It wasn't a boring race per say, but the team with the best strategy won, and in this case it was Ferrari.

Bit off topic, but is it just me, or the Caterham car looks really ugly. From whichever angle, anytime it comes up on the screen, it looks as if someone forgot whether it was a F1 car, or a lawn mower they were supposed to design. I'd have kept my mouth shut if they were going faster than Marussia, but they're in fact,slow.

Yeah, Caterham have really taken a step backwards this season, they need to get it in gear to keep up to Marrusia, and it makes me wonder how much of it is the drivers and how much is the car itself. Especially since Marussia now have KERS.

[simonlang]

Really, it was up until the point where Alonso pitted at the end of the race where it wasn't completely sealed, and since he managed to pass Vettel before he had to pit it sealed the deal. It wasn't a boring race per say, but the team with the best strategy won, and in this case it was Ferrari.

Yeah, Caterham have really taken a step backwards this season, they need to get it in gear to keep up to Marrusia, and it makes me wonder how much of it is the drivers and how much is the car itself. Especially since Marussia now have KERS.

thats irrelevant because vettel had to pit as well. alonso could have just waited behind vettel.

[Noir Angel]

DRS made passing a bit too easy for my liking. Now the teams have more effective DRS solutions the FIA need to start looking at tweaking the zones a bit

[Lingwo]

DRS has made passing easy since they first implemented it. It is a fake way of overtaking because all you need to do is get up close and open it and you have a free overtake. I think China shows this more because of the huge straight in the first DRS zone. Didn't they try and cut this out by only allowing them to switch it on half way down the straight?

I suppose we need DRS and KERS though unless every car is identical in setup, then it would be down to the driver.

[JoeC]

I'm in favour of KERS + DRS - it gives the drivers something more to think about and plan for. The 1 second tail gap becomes hugely important, and breaking it at the right time. You also get the fun stuff like what Alonso did twice - overtook someone just after the detection point so he got DRS even though he was already ahead - which is again part of the strategy of it. Another example, with KERS, is last year two cars were nose-to-tail out of the pits. The car behind hit KERS as soon as he crossed the pit exit line and got the jump on the front car, overtook going into the first corner.

It adds complexity and variables, and makes it more interesting IMO. One without the other is much more predictable.

[MightyJordan]

I'm in favour of KERS + DRS - it gives the drivers something more to think about and plan for. The 1 second tail gap becomes hugely important, and breaking it at the right time. You also get the fun stuff like what Alonso did twice - overtook someone just after the detection point so he got DRS even though he was already ahead - which is again part of the strategy of it. Another example, with KERS, is last year two cars were nose-to-tail out of the pits. The car behind hit KERS as soon as he crossed the pit exit line and got the jump on the front car, overtook going into the first corner.

It adds complexity and variables, and makes it more interesting IMO. One without the other is much more predictable.

Agreed. (Y) And let's not forget that half of the tracks on the F1 calendar are designed by Hermann Tilke, so I'd say KERS and DRS are needed in order to actually get a fair amount of overtaking! :p

[Noir Angel]

I'm not saying DRS should be removed, the length of the zones at some circuits needs to be tweaked to account for the improvement in effectiveness of the systems. Passing should still be a skill it should not be as easy as DRS made it at China.

[MightyJordan]

Pirelli buckle to pressure and change tyre options for Bahrain

Formula 1 tyre suppliers Pirelli have decided against using their soft tyres at this weekend?s Bahrain Grand Prix after concern about how quickly they wear out.

A spokeswoman said the decision was made after last month?s Malaysian Grand Prix, where the track is similar in characteristics to Bahrain, to bring the hard and medium compounds rather than hard and soft.

The medium and soft options were used in China last weekend, with some drivers doing the minimum number of laps in the faster but far less durable softs.

Seven laps in the race, won by Ferrari?s Fernando Alonso, was the longest anyone did on the soft tyres.

Pirelli said ahead of Bahrain, ?The expected lifespan of the hard tyre, when it comes to wear, should be 15-17 laps, whereas the medium tyre should last for approximately 13 to 15 laps.?

The original allocation for Bahrain was decided in December, long before the start of winter testing. Soft and medium were used last year, with drivers having to use at least one of each during the race.

Bahrain is a fast-flowing layout made more abrasive by the sand blowing in from the nearby desert. Tyre degradation is expected to be reasonably high.

?It?s one of the most demanding tracks of the year for the tyres, mostly because of the high ambient and track temperatures. We expect about three stops per car,? said Pirelli?s motorsport director Paul Hembery in a race preview.

[Noir Angel]

Good, some common sense at last. I respect Pirelli for trying to spice up the spectacle but sadly the FIA have made their contribution void by reducing the amount of tyres the teams have.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Bahrain GP FP1:

[Noir Angel]

FP isn't as good an indication as it used to be of where everyone stood but regardless Ferrari are going to be tough to beat here. If they keep giving Alonso a decent car he'll win the title this year. Seeing Red Bull get beat would be nice!

[Lingwo]

I have a feeling Hamilton is working on his race pace. He has mentioned in interviews from China. That is where they are lacking and the cars won't have changed since China.

I'm not expecting the results to be much different. While Mercedes have pace, there car seems similar to last year, just it isn't breaking down as much.

[i11usive]

Commentary on Sky Sports F1 said Hamilton was trying out new parts / setups - hence the apparent lack of pace.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

FP2 result:

[simonlang]

looks like a rbr frontrow tomorrow, given the fact that so far ferrari always ran quite a bit lighter than redbull on friday.

for the race? i have no clue, i'd guess raikkonen who will also take the wdc lead then.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

FP3: