formula 1 Formula 1 World Championship 2015 Season Discussion

[Noir Angel]

The commentators were going on about how Ferrari messed up their strategy but I feel Lewis had the speed to beat Seb whatever strategy they pulled.

 

They finished 40s behind Merc today and it would appear to me that far from gaining ground they have actually slipped back.

[simonlang]

shame for alonso. damn unlucky as well. he was on his way to score some points. however, things are settled this year. if you don't drive a mercedes (works team), you stand no chance. hami would have past vettel much earlier on a track where overtaking was easier...

[JoeC]

Poor Alonso? More like poor front-jack man. Ouch!

[simonlang]

Poor Alonso? More like poor front-jack man. Ouch!

 

he escaped with a quick jump.

[MightyJordan]

he escaped with a quick jump.

Lotus' one wasn't so lucky. And neither was their front-right wheel guy.

 

http://www.gfycat.com/HappyHeftyHamadryas

 

The wheel guy picked up a sprained ankle and the jack guy... well, you've probably seen the picture.

[DarkyDan]

Alonso's brake failure supposedly visor tear-off related.  bugger.

[MightyJordan]

Alonso's brake failure supposedly visor tear-off related.  bugger.

Yeah, that's what McLaren said. Worst possible luck there.

[Noir Angel]

I've always considered, for years, that the way they carelessly discard those things is stupid.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Michelin ready to return as Formula 1 tyre supplier

Michelin has made it clear it is ready to make a return to Formula 1 when the championship's existing tyre contract comes to an end.

The French tyre manufacturer was last involved in 2006, opting to depart at the end of that year after a five-season spell as it was unhappy about a move to a single supplier from 2008.

Bridgestone initially took up the reins prior to a switch to current supplier Pirelli from 2011, with its current contract running to the end of 2016.

With a tender to be put out early next year, Michelin Motorsport director Pascal Couasnon told Italian publication Autosprint: "Why not? We are fully open to a return, but on some precise conditions - Formula 1 must change its technical regulations.

"Tyres must become a technical object again, not just a tool to do a more-or-less spectacular show.

"Michelin has put forward some precise conditions in order to return to F1.

"We want 18-inch tyres, which we already use in Formula E, and soon in another series.

"If F1 wants to consider our proposals we are here, fully open, with a strong will to return.

"If, instead, the prospects are to keep things as they are now, then thanks but we aren't interested.

"At the next tender for F1 tyre supply we will make our proposals, why not?

"Then it will be a problem for [bernie] Ecclestone or the FIA whether to accept them or not."

Couasnon states Michelin is now "open to supply tyres in a monopoly regime with a sole supplier", as it is about to do in MotoGP when it takes over from Bridgestone.

Pirelli's brief upon entering the sport was to make a high-degradation tyre that would lead to multiple pit stops after Bridgestone's highly-durable rubber made for boring races.

Although Pirelli fulfilled the brief, the downside has resulted in drivers being unable to push to the limit, instead being forced to preserve their tyres.

When asked as to what he dislikes about the current F1 tyres, Couasnon said: "Tyres should offer stable performance and grip levels.

"It's not normal that after a few laps a driver says 'I need to slow down otherwise the tyres won't last'.

"That shouldn't happen. These days F1 drivers can't show their talent because the tyres don't allow them to.

"At the Spa 24 Hours GT race, too, some tyres can't even last for two consecutive stints.

"This happens when you are in a sole-supplier regime and you have no motivation to improve. That's called mediocrity, not technology.

"If instead you have a technologically interesting rule book, even if you are sole supplier, you are forced to offer a product at its best level."

 

Source: Autosport

[Skiver Veteran]

Funny this should come just after DC wrote about tyres in one of his BBC articles just recently;

 

 

You will very rarely hear them saying it publicly but, without exception, no-one in F1 likes the construction and compound range of the current tyres, and people are very negative about Pirelli as a result; hardly good PR.

I have no doubt that, if challenged to do so, Pirelli could build much racier tyres.

The bosses of the sport do not want a tyre war between different manufacturers, but I I don't understand why. After all, there are chassis wars and engine wars.

As long as the boundaries were set out - no testing, limits on costs to teams - there is no reason why a tyre war would have to have cost implications.

The tyres are clearly part of the problem of the lack of overtaking in F1 at the moment. They are so sensitive. There is so much tyre management.

While I am commentating, I find it very difficult not to be exasperated when Mercedes suddenly go a second quicker than they have been when they need to do it.

The drivers I know who compete in the World Endurance Championship, where they use Michelin tyres, tell me that they push on every single lap through a 24-hour race. This sometimes involves using just one set of tyres for two or even three 45-minute stints.

That's great for them, but it used to be what I was doing when I drove in F1. The only time you backed off was if you were in the final stint of the race and you had a 20-second lead or something.

Now, it is the other way around, and the times the drivers are completely on the limit during a grand prix are a small minority. Sometimes they never are.

A corollary of this is that if the drivers are not pushing, they are far less likely to make a mistake. You don't see so many as you used to. And mistakes add excitement.

 

Full Article and a pretty good read. 

 

I'd almost like to go back to tyre wars rather than a sole manufacturer. It just adds that extra element into the equation of cars never having the absolute advantage. 

[MightyJordan]

 

Ferrari received more money than any other team in Formula 1 for the 2014 season due to the championship's current payment system, details of which AUTOSPORT can reveal.

 

At the end of each season, Formula One Management collates revenues from three streams - hosting fees, media rights and "other" such as trackside sponsorship and hospitality.

 

It then distributes 65 per cent of the underlying revenues among the qualifying teams.

 

However, while 50 per cent of those revenues is distributed to teams based on their finishing position in the constructors' championship, the other 15 per cent is split between Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Williams - in the form of a premium payment.

 

These premium payments were agreed by the five major teams by way of bilateral agreements in early 2012, ahead of the expiration of the Concorde Agreement.

 

So in 2014, Ferrari received $67million for finishing fourth in the constructors' standings, $25 million less than champion team Mercedes.

 

But the Scuderia received a further $97million in the form of a premium payment, bringing its total revenue to $164 million, more than any other team.

 

Red Bull, which finished second in the constructors' championship, received a total of $156million - the second highest tally - with Mercedes third overall with $126million.

 

McLaren, having scored just two podiums on its way to fifth in the constructors' championship, was the fourth best paid team with $98million.

 

In contrast, Williams, which finished third in the constructors' championship and scored nine podiums, was fifth overall with $83million.

 

Force India finished one place and 26 points behind McLaren in the constructors' championship but it received $38million less than the Woking-based team.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118955

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

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[Sparky Marky]

Refuelling to return from 2017 season

Formula 1 bosses have agreed to bring back refuelling in 2017 as part of a range of measures aimed at making the sport more exciting.

 

There will also be higher revving and louder engines and changes aimed at making cars "five to six seconds a lap faster", governing body the FIA said.

 

For 2016, bosses have approved a plan to allow teams free choice of the four available tyre compounds for each race.

 

The changes still need to be approved by two further legislative stages.

 

The changes were agreed on Thursday at a meeting of the F1 strategy group, which comprises FIA president Jean Todt, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull, Williams and Force India teams. The engine manufacturers were also represented at the meeting.

 

The FIA statement added that a "comprehensive proposal to ensure the sustainability of the sport has emerged".

 

This, it said, would be refined by the teams in the coming weeks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/32751118

[vanx]

Funny this should come just after DC wrote about tyres in one of his BBC articles just recently;

 

 

Full Article and a pretty good read. 

 

I'd almost like to go back to tyre wars rather than a sole manufacturer. It just adds that extra element into the equation of cars never having the absolute advantage. 

 

A mate of mine used to work for Bridgestone, so he might have a thought or two about that.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Hamilton commits to Mercedes for three more years

Lewis Hamilton has extended his contract to drive for Mercedes for a further three years, the team has confirmed.

Hamilton joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013 on a three-year deal, and won his second world championship with the team last season.

Source: F1 Fanatic

[MightyJordan]

 

Revisions to the Tabac corner on Monaco

[Skiver Veteran]

Should be a bit of an emotional weekend for Manor

 

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[i11usive]

Where did Lewis get that lap from? Brilliant stuff!

[Noir Angel]

I thought Lewis was in trouble after Q2, but to pull a great lap like that after having difficulty was truly impressive, the mark of a great. As long as the tyres don't fall to bits tomorrow (and he doesn't get a start like the one he got in Spain) he'll take yet another win. Nico had Lewis on the ropes and failed to capitalise as well, that's probably going to deal him quite a big psychological blow. For those in the UK the BBC have his pole lap available for viewing

[MightyJordan]

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[i11usive]

 

Yeah - that was a good catch! I saw that and wondered why it wasn't given more attention.