Formula 1 2015: General Discussion Thread

Myrddin

I think it's high time we had a thread for 2015, otherwise news/updates will be lost in the back of the old thread. Did I hear yesterday double points has been removed from the 2015 season?

Firewalkwithme

1st :-)

Zcott

No double points, no standing restarts...and Korea is apparently back on the calendar.

Ghost Train

Some stuff from twitter

greedygoblin

Zcott wrote: »

No double points, no standing restarts...and Korea is apparently back on the calendar.

With Korea is that 21 races on the calendar?

frostie500

greedygoblin wrote: »

With Korea is that 21 races on the calendar?

Ludicrous amount of races to have for the season if you ask me. I can't see Korea being confirmed but if it was to be a 21 race season I think it's really stretching what team personnel, media and everyone else involved in the sport can physically do. I think that when the FIA come up with their calendar it's just a couple of lads in Paris with no concept whatsoever of how difficult it is to do that level of travelling in a high pressure environment.

tripperman

frostie500 wrote: »

Ludicrous amount of races to have for the season if you ask me. I can't see Korea being confirmed but if it was to be a 21 race season I think it's really stretching what team personnel, media and everyone else involved in the sport can physically do. I think that when the FIA come up with their calendar it's just a couple of lads in Paris with no concept whatsoever of how difficult it is to do that level of travelling in a high pressure environment.

i hear the crying starting how are we to eek out 21 race weekends from 5 engines

zombieHanalei

Too many races on the calendar, should be capped at 18 in my opinion. I'd nearly go further and go back to 16 and allow the teams 5 or 6 weekends of in season test sessions. And more winter testing.

The only way I can see Mercedes being challenged in 2015 is if McLaren produce a good car and Honda are immediately competitive. I can see one happening but not both. Honda's 2000-2008 stint in the sport does not fill me with confidence.

PopePalpatine

I always wondered how they fitted the passenger on those 2-seater F1 cars.

I really don't care how many races there are if they'd keep them a regular 2 weeks between races. For logistics there's simple things they could do with scheduling.
Last year for example:

1 Australian Grand Prix Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne 16 March
2 Malaysian Grand Prix Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur 30 March
3 Bahrain Grand Prix Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir 6 April
4 Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai 20 April
5 Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona 11 May
6 Monaco Grand Prix Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 25 May
7 Canadian Grand Prix Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal 8 June
8 Austrian Grand Prix Red Bull Ring, Spielberg 22 June
9 British Grand Prix Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 6 July
10 German Grand Prix Hockenheimring, Hockenheim 20 July
11 Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring, Budapest 27 July
12 Belgian Grand Prix Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 24 August
13 Italian Grand Prix Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza 7 September
14 Singapore Grand Prix Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore 21 September
15 Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka 5 October
16 Russian Grand Prix Sochi Autodrom, Sochi[2] 12 October
17 United States Grand Prix Circuit of the Americas, Austin 2 November
18 Brazilian Grand Prix Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo 9 November
19 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi 23 November


Why go Malaysia to Bahrain to China to Spain? Idiotic. Why have Canada in with the European races? Then at the end it's Singapore to Japan (fine) to Russia to USA to Brazil to Abu Dhabi. Not the worst stretch but Abu Dhabi sticks out like a sore thumb. At least have Bahrain towards the end and have 2 races a week apart in the Middle East, good timing under the lights.

But hey, that would just be too easy. :P

flazio

PopePalpatine wrote: »

I always wondered how they fitted the passenger on those 2-seater F1 cars.

I'll try to find pics but in the MP4-98T the passenger sat spread legged around the driver's monocoque.

Not ideal for the lads in the heavy braking zones.

flazio

Deleted User wrote: »

Not ideal for the lads in the heavy braking zones.

There would be padding between the passenger and the driver, and the seatbelts would have the passenger pretty much pasted to the seat.
It'd be the rumble strips I'd be worried about.

Cookie_Monster

Deleted User wrote: »

Why have Canada in with the European races?

this one is weather related isn't it, too bad to do it before / after USA type time.

Jordan 199

I like having the Canadian GP in June.

TheDoctor

Korean GP isn't going to happen

1 week between Korean GP and Spanish GP?

Good one

ZiabR

Zcott wrote: »

No double points, no standing restarts...and Korea is apparently back on the calendar.

But Korea have said that they told the FIA that they would find it hard to host a GP next year yet the FIA still have it on the calender.

Going Strong

The reasoning is that having a Korean GP pushes up the number of engines allowed per team so that Renault and Ferrari can have an extra unit so as to limit the strain on components. Of course, this being F1, everyone thinks this is a great wheeze until they realise there actually *is* a Korean GP and the cars get to trundle around a s**t track with the marshals outnumbering the spectators by a considerable margin and at a time of the year guaranteed to provide torrential rain.

recyclebin

Reliability should improve next season as everybody has a year done with the new engines. McLaren would be the exception and with Honda only running one team they won't get as many miles on the clock or the feedback. It could be a difficult season for McLaren next year if they don't hit the ground running with Honda.

Jordan 199

With all the talk of the Korean GP making a possible return this year, this picture of Mark Webbers car was taken at the 2010 race:

TheDoctor

Weren't they still finishing the track the first year as the teams arrived.

PopePalpatine

Now I feel like watching the 2010 Korean GP out of curiosity.

EDIT: @TheDoctor, IIRC the track owners wanted a city built around the Yeongam circuit, and we know how that turned out.

veganrun

Deleted User wrote: »

I really don't care how many races there are if they'd keep them a regular 2 weeks between races.

Agreed. I hate these random 3 week breaks between races. This has been the first year when I've almost forgotten it was on.

Myrddin

I know the what if's & buts are meaningless, but it's mad to think that if that crash in Korea hadn't happened, Webber would in all likelihood have been world champion that year

Jordan 199

From the 2012 Korean GP:

supremenovice

Myrddin wrote: »

I know the what if's & buts are meaningless, but it's mad to think that if that crash in Korea hadn't happened, Webber would in all likelihood have been world champion that year

The margins of victory are always incredibly small in sport.
In that particular year, the right man won, as Vettel went on to be the far superior driver to Webber over their time as team-mates.
If Hamilton and Rosberg swapped cars in Abu Dhabi, it would be Rosberg whod be World Champion right now. If he was, he'd probably be the least popular champion of all time, considering the reaction he was getting on the podiums around Europe. Fans would feel Hamilton was mugged considering the season as a whole.
Funny how the Cream always seems to rise to the top, someway, somehow!

counterlock

supremenovice wrote: »

The margins of victory are always incredibly small in sport.
In that particular year, the right man won, as Vettel went on to be the far superior driver to Webber over their time as team-mates.
If Hamilton and Rosberg swapped cars in Abu Dhabi, it would be Rosberg whod be World Champion right now. If he was, he'd probably be the least popular champion of all time, considering the reaction he was getting on the podiums around Europe. Fans would feel Hamilton was mugged considering the season as a whole.
Funny how the Cream always seems to rise to the top, someway, somehow!

I don't think he'd be an unpopular champion. He comes across as being very genuine in interviews. There was a lot made by the media of hamilton vs rosberg, I think a lot of it was for show and put on. Hamilton is very gracious in victory, he could take a leaf out of Rosberg's book when it comes to his defeats though

PopePalpatine

counterlock wrote: »

I don't think he'd be an unpopular champion. He comes across as being very genuine in interviews. There was a lot made by the media of hamilton vs rosberg, I think a lot of it was for show and put on. Hamilton is very gracious in victory, he could take a leaf out of Rosberg's book when it comes to his defeats though

*cough*Sky*cough*

TheChrisD

frostie500 wrote: »

Ludicrous amount of races to have for the season if you ask me.

21 is alright; I mean they're not pushing the teams and crews to the extent of something like 38 races in 9 months?

smellslikeshoes

http://www.infiniti-redbullracing.com/article/factory-incident-update


Anyone else picturing a German reg Ferrari towing a trailer? :pac:

Joeseph Balls

Just seen a gang broke into the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes and stole a load of the F1 trophys ....

Ghost Train

Joeseph Balls wrote: »

Just seen a gang broke into the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes and stole a load of the F1 trophys ....

hmm Vettel was only there a few days ago saying good bye


they say the value of the trophies themselves wouldnt be that much with some being replicas

hope they find who stole them and get them back

Going Strong

I think they all look like hideous tat and wouldn't give any of them house room. So that's me in the clear.

frostie500

TheChrisD wrote: »

21 is alright; I mean they're not pushing the teams and crews to the extent of something like 38 races in 9 months?

Most NASCAR teams still have two sets of crews and I'd certainly prefer to be flying within the US rather than having to do a load of long haul flights through the year. Speaking from my own experience three years ago I did 20 races, last year 23 and this year 21 and I was absolutely shattered by the end of the it. A 21 race season for F1 is way too long in my opinion and its a view shared by everyone in the paddock

Infoanon

frostie500 wrote: »

Most NASCAR teams still have two sets of crews and I'd certainly prefer to be flying within the US rather than having to do a load of long haul flights through the year. Speaking from my own experience three years ago I did 20 races, last year 23 and this year 21 and I was absolutely shattered by the end of the it. A 21 race season for F1 is way too long in my opinion and its a view shared by everyone in the paddock

Is the bigger issue not the scheduling of the races and not the number of races ?

Just out of interest, was there a general 2014 predictions thread?

Ghost Train

there was this fantasy thingy
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057146030

ScumLord

Ghost Train wrote: »

hmm Vettel was only there a few days ago saying good bye

Vettel has said they were his trophies, he just didn't want to fill out the paperwork.

eviltimeban

21 is probably stretching it, but if Korea doesn't happen then it should be an even 20 alright. I like some of the new tracks, I think they should be there.

I do remember the "golden years" when we'd start with Oz, then Brazil, then have the Euro-season (including Canada) and then Japan at the end. That probably was the easiest the teams had to travel.

Now, it would make sense to group them together, but that's probably what they want to avoid. Someone who doesn't go to Bahrain might go to Aby Dhabi. Someone who didn't make Canada could go to the USA. Having the Canadian / USA one after the other might stop fans from travelling.

As for Ros / Ham, Rosberg would've been widely booed I would imagine if he had "stolen" the title; as it is, he redeemed himself fully with his post race behaviour in Abu Dhabi - the way he went up to Lewis in the green room, his post race interviews... I doubt we'll hear any more booing when he's on the podium.

greedygoblin

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30417196

McLaren will finally reveal their driver lineup tomorrow.

About time!

Going Strong

greedygoblin wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30417196

McLaren will finally reveal their driver lineup tomorrow.

About time!

By the time Ron has given one of his long-winded 'Ronspeak' speeches, it'll be Friday by the time the drivers get announced.

eviltimeban

I don't have much hope for Button being there.

v3ttel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac8o3yRoFIo

I found this video very interesting. Great to have the chance to hear a lot of the radio traffic, especially on the cool down lap.

v3ttel

greedygoblin wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30417196

McLaren will finally reveal their driver lineup tomorrow.

About time!

Come on Jenson!

HighLine

BBC reporting that Button retain his seat at McLaren for 2015. Delighted for him. He deserved it.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/30328327

Ghost Train

Hope it's true, will wait till it officially announced before fully believing

greedygoblin

Hopefully it is accurate. It would've been a disappointing way to end his time in F1 if they had decided not to continue with him.

Frank Bullitt

Well that least thats sorted, cause ya know, it was getting a bit silly....

Zcott

Really hoping it's Button, but feel for Magnussen. Wonder if they'll pay for him to get a drive elsewhere...

T-Bird

Jeez, that must have been the longest rock paper scissors game ever.... :P

challengemaster

It's popping up everywhere but I'm not seeing any official confirmation, or any sources being cited...

I wonder did one newspaper jump the gun and the rest followed