Formula One 2019

[Red October1984]

Anybody following this season? If not, it's not too late! Only two races down.

I'm curious to see how many fans we have here and what team/driver you're pulling for and why. If there's interest, I could start up a fantasy F1 league.

Unfortunately for me, I'm a Ferrari fan. So blood pressure runs high during races. I'm absolutely heartbroken for Charles LeClerc after today's Bahrain GP finish. Guess I've got two weeks to cool down before China. :( Hoping he (LeClerc) can keep it together for a WDC contention this year.

[Buddahaid]

Yep, I watch it all including P1, P2, P3, and qualifying. The hard part for me is not accidently reading the winner before I watch since I record it all beforehand.

I pull for Ferrari as well but I also root for Haas. Seems to me that Ferrari has the edge lately but looses to Mercedes over mistakes, bad luck and mistaken strategy more than their share.

Too bad for LeClerc but he was saved by the bell when the Renault cars both failed bringing out the safety car and turning the bad luck into a save although I hate races ending on the safety car.

That said it's looking like a great season and look at McClaren! They've pulled themselves off the bottom. I hope Williams can get back in the game this year as well.

[Jimbuna]

Hamilton for the win :yeah:

[Schroeder]

I stopped caring a few years ago after 20 years of being a fan.
Too many garbage rules and regulations and no drivers I can root for.:-?

[Jimbuna]

I stopped caring a few years ago after 20 years of being a fan.
Too many garbage rules and regulations and no drivers I can root for.:-?

I thought you'd be a fan of the finger man :hmmm:

[mapuc]

I'm one of those who read about it afterward and to see how Magnussen performed in the race.

We really don't have any Swedes left. Ericsson or was it Eriksson have left

Yesterday he got position 6 in the startup line, but ended on 13th place.

Markus

[Red October1984]

Hamilton for the win :yeah:

:Kaleun_Goofy: LeClerc/Vettel 2019

Hamilton is definitely NOT my cup of tea....but he's a talented driver and I can respect that. I respect how he treated LeClerc this weekend. Would have liked a Ferrari win, but Hamilton fought hard.

I'm one of those who read about it afterward and to see how Magnussen performed in the race.

We really don't have any Swedes left. Ericsson or was it Eriksson have left

Yesterday he got position 6 in the startup line, but ended on 13th place.

Markus

I really like watching KMag but he's got a crap teammate. I have to root for Haas, being American and all. I just wish they could finally pull it together. It'll be a tough battle for them this season.

[Buddahaid]

:Kaleun_Goofy: LeClerc/Vettel 2019

Hamilton is definitely NOT my cup of tea....but he's a talented driver and I can respect that. I respect how he treated LeClerc this weekend. Would have liked a Ferrari win, but Hamilton fought hard..

I didn't really care for him for some time but I think he's matured into a class act. He drives offensively but knows how to stay out of tangles and chooses his battles wisely. Keeps his head. Verstappen seems to finally get how to channel his aggressive driving style this year but there a a lot of races left.

Overall the drivers this season look like they are better at staying out of contact with each other and the new wings seem to be working even though Vettel got messed up in some wash.

[Jimbuna]

Overall the drivers this season look like they are better at staying out of contact with each other and the new wings seem to be working even though Vettel got messed up in some wash.

Tis a long way to go and I predict Vettel will resort to his usual tactics should matters not go his way :)

[Schroeder]

I thought you'd be a fan of the finger man :hmmm:
Nope. Never really was.


I used to be a Schumacher / Hakkinen fan but those days are long gone.:88)

[skidman]

F1 suffers from stupid regulations, the drag reduction system is a good example. It kills the race. And it suffers from too much money spent to buy mediocre drivers into cars.

I like multiclass endurance racing: WEC (it's such a shame Porsche and Audi left the party), IMSA (Weathertech), Blancpain, VLN, Creventic. The best races of the season are LeMans, 24hrs of Spa and of course the 24hrs on the Nürburgring. The 12hrs of Bathurst, Daytona and Sebring are great fun too. But nothing beats a LMP1 Prototype going down Mulsanne Straight overtaking GTEs like a hot knife through butter, or a GT3 in the hands of a high-profile driver through Fuchsröhre or Wippermann/Brünnchen on the Nordschleife.

Turn up loud:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAQJl3Taqm4

[Buddahaid]

How does DRS kill the race when it makes passing possible?

So the 1000th F1 race has come and gone and Mercedes still finds themselves on the top. This was a clean race with few surprises and nobody knocked out at the start even with the McClaren's getting bumped. I was nervous Max was going to punt Seb out trying to overtake when Seb's tires were cold but it settled down.

My only disappointments were Ferrari not being able to challenge Mercedes for the win and Haas not coming through despite good qualifying.

[Platapus]

Concerning that lap record video


I can't comprehend the amount of focus a driver needs to have in order to do this. A split second distraction would be all it would take.


Yikes!!!

[skidman]

How does DRS kill the race when it makes passing possible?

Because it makes overtaking far too predictable. And thus we see the same move in the same part of the track over and over again. And though there are much smarter regulations to facilitate passing like "push to pass" in Indycar, limited number of DRS activation in DTM or even the boost system in Formula E, they all make the race less exiting.

Good motorsport requires a well thought-out BOP (Balance of performance). We won't see that in F1 anytime soon. In GT racing you usually have cars with very different specs: AMGs with 6l displacement engine against R8s or Huracans with 5.2l or 488s with 4l all in one race. Still the Ferraris can win, because of a clever BOP. And we see fights for positions, that take a few rounds in which the opponents find out about weaknesses and strengths of the car/driver in front/behind.

This makes races exiting, not pushing a button, flipping the wing open, and fly past the other car.

[skidman]

Yikes!!!

Amazing, isn't it. Timo is among the most capable drivers in prototype racing and the Nordschleife (the "green hell", as Jacky Ickx put it) is the most challenging race track on earth. That is why any driver who wants to race there needs a special permit. A FIA super license or even a platinum license is not good enough. A side note: Hamilton atm does not hold the Nordschleife permit.

[u crank]

and the Nordschleife (the "green hell", as Jacky Ickx put it) is the most challenging race track on earth.

I may be wrong but I think it was Jackie Stewart who gave it that name.

[Platapus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAQJl3Taqm4


This is basically porn. :up::D

[skidman]

I may be wrong but I think it was Jackie Stewart who gave it that name.

Oops. You are right, it was Mr. Stewart.

[Red October1984]

My only disappointments were Ferrari not being able to challenge Mercedes for the win and Haas not coming through despite good qualifying.

This is it for me. As a Ferrari guy, I'm pretty much guaranteed disappointment every season. Which is why I'm hoping LeClerc can turn it around a bit.

Haas is just disappointing me thus far, but maybe they'll come back around. At this point I can't put any stock into Grojean. He's a talented driver but entirely too inconsistent.:doh:

[Buddahaid]

Looking forward to Baku. Such a fun circuit with surprising outcomes.

[mapuc]

Earlier today or yesterday I saw or re-saw the movie Superswede a movie about Ronnie Petersson.

Sweden most famous Formel 1 driver.

Markus

[Buddahaid]

Mercedes is unbeatable this year. At least Haas had a double point day and may yet end up fourth in the constructors points.

[Schroeder]

Man, I stopped watching this stuff a few short years ago and all of a sudden Williams is last in the grid. What the hell happened?:doh::o

[Jimbuna]

Man, I stopped watching this stuff a few short years ago and all of a sudden Williams is last in the grid. What the hell happened?:doh::o

Hamilton and Mercedes took over :03:

[Buddahaid]

Turbo hybrid era for one and the difference between first and last getting tighter.

[Red October1984]

Mercedes is unbeatable this year. At least Haas had a double point day and may yet end up fourth in the constructors points.

Grojean nearly choked again. I really hope he can either figure things out or find a new career in RallyCross or something. :doh:

Man, I stopped watching this stuff a few short years ago and all of a sudden Williams is last in the grid. What the hell happened?:doh::o

F1 moved on and Williams wasn't able to adapt. It's depressing to watch. I feel really bad for the Williams camp right now

[Schroeder]

F1 moved on and Williams wasn't able to adapt. It's depressing to watch. I feel really bad for the Williams camp right now
When I started watching in 1994 they were the ones with the best cars in the field....sad indeed how things have changed.:-?

[Jimbuna]

This season ios already looking like a two horse race which is sad imho.

[HunterICX]

When I started watching in 1994 they were the ones with the best cars in the field....sad indeed how things have changed.:-?

I'd say they where better in 1992 with the active suspension:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP2S_eD_mhE

The car was just glued onto the track, still I'd say it was amazing what Senna could do in a Mclaren-Honda which was was not good that year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv8zzLVRF9g

F1 today gets boring because Mercedez is just dominating with the better car, FIA wanting engines that have become a joke, dumb tyre rules and stupid artificial overtake nonesense called DRS. I'm not denying that Hamilton and Bottas are good drivers but put anyone in the Mercedez that doesn't make mistakes on the track and guaranteed he'd win. So it's more car then Driver and statistics over racing.

[Red October1984]

Heartbreaking to watch LeClerc take P2 like that, but I have to admit, Verstappen got it honest.

Great race IMO

[Buddahaid]

Not sure about honest. He forces LeClerc off the track when he's required to leave space. Still, a way more exciting race than last week and it's good to see Mercedes struggling for once this year.

[Buddahaid]

Well Max gets away with a rule violation and Ferrari gets screwed again.

[Sailor Steve]

I'm sure Ayrton Senna would agree.

[Dmitry Markov]

I find interest in today's Formula One just not in following the Mercedes / Ferrari. For me IMHO most interesting things and real struggle happen in lower segment of peloton. For example I follow with interest for my compatriot's Daniil Kvyat races - maybe he doesn't have the glory of multiple World champions but he shows great races too - with races of the kind when he starts 15-th and finishes 9-th. That's more interesting for me than guessing what Mercedes's pilot would be the next champion.

[Jimbuna]

The only way Mercedes aren't likely to win is when it is down to car problems or driver mistakes.

[Buddahaid]

Yep, and another Mercedes one two today. They are almost unstoppable and now Red Bull has come on par with Ferrari which made for some great racing and some bad racing too. What the hell happened to Vettel! It's like Max caught him daydreaming for an easy pass and then Seb got rattled and lost his cool. I think Ferrari is going to find another driver next year.

Then there is Romain Grojean screwing up yet again and this time taking out his team mate. Haas needs to dump him even though I like him.

[Jimbuna]

Hamilton is now somewhere in the region of a 39 point lead which can be overcome but I highly doubt it unless Vettel decides to become a little 'careless' in his racing tactics.

https://i.imgur.com/FDaxCdN.gif

[Dmitry Markov]

Daniil Kvyat performed one of his best races - just like I've told recently - failed qualification, started race in the end of peloton and finished 9-th )))

[Jimbuna]

Only into the tenth lap of the German F1 but Hamilton is leading in a Mercedes one two.

[Buddahaid]

Mercedes imploded for once and Vettel made the podium from a P20 start. Max proves he's one of the top drivers and congrats to Danil Kvyat for a stellar race. Sad for Lance Stroll and Racing Point just missing a podium finish and a good result for Haas even though the drivers had another incident.

Win for Honda and another loss for Renault. Fun race.

[skidman]

Fun race.

The Total 24h of Spa-Francorchamps (= most competitive GT3 race in the world)? Yes, it was good fun!

[Jimbuna]

And Hamilton is promoted two places for two points :yeah:

[Buddahaid]

Well poor Max loses from pole by maybe just one strategy mistake by not pitting for tires when he had just enough gap after Hamilton pitted. The gamble to gain a bit of time while Hamilton's tires were cold had just the opposite effect and pitting would give the lead away then.

Great race for the middle and back teams with only one retirement for Haas with a water pump issue. Grojean again maintaining his luckless streak and Bottas has a bad race riding his poor luck as well. Ferrari just a bit of the pace as expected. Kvyat has another great drive and Russel climbed out of the back giving Williams a good race.

Good clean race heading into the break!

[mapuc]

Yesterday I saw almost every lap(70) of the Hungarian Formula One race.

When I entered it was 3/70 lap and the Dane - Kevin was number 12 or something.

Had to leave for some minutes, when returning he was number 9.

watched until lap 35 when I had to leave for about 10 min.(preparing dinner)
When I returned to watch the rest of the race-Kevin was number 14

He manage to gain one position.

I do not claim to know everything, but almost everyone except Kevin had top speed above 300 km/h on this long-thing
He had what I can remember a top speed around 250-260 on the same area.(I'm not into this formula, so I don't know what they call certain areas on a race track)

Makes me wonder if he don't like to put the pedal to the metal.

Markus

[Buddahaid]

It's all so close today that there is little, but all important, time between everyone. Rules are changing and it's likely all teams will use the same wheels and brakes soon making the constructor even less important. I'm not sure I like where this is going, well yes, I am sure, but I think I don't like it even though I understand it.

[Jimbuna]

Best race this season by a country mile (no pun intended).

Tactics ebbed and flowed with almost every lap but the third pitstop turned out to be the master stroke.

Only uncertainty now is who will be second overall to Hamilton.

[Red October1984]

Ferrari Hype Train is going full speed into Monza this weekend.

LeClerc win #2 maybe? Hopefully! :D

[Buddahaid]

The Tifosi will be out in force for the 90th anniversary of Scuderia Ferrari and the 90th Italian Grand Prix!
https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180902165719-ferrari-fans-tifosi-lewis-hamilton-spt-super-169.jpg

[Jimbuna]

After FP2 Leclerc leads Hamilton and Vettel is third whilst Bottas is in fourth position.

One more session (FP3) and looking forward to a great race.

[Buddahaid]

Q3 was a disaster! All the teams screwed up trying to not blink first and only one car got a second hot lap. Comical listening to drivers complain cars in front of them were to blame when their teams were to blame for not getting them out on the track when they had six minutes to work with! Stupid brinkmanship but LeClerc and Ferrari have the pole.

[Jimbuna]

Barring nothing unforeseen happening it looks like a two horse race.

[Jimbuna]

A great race and result for Leclerc, beating Hamilton into third place behind Bottas.

Couldn't help but notice the finger man still has his reckless tendencies.

[Red October1984]

Whew, edge of my seat through that one from start to finish.

I'm so happy for LeClerc. Shame about Vettel, but he deserved the penalty for that ridiculous move.

All in all, my Italian blood runs very deeply red today. :yeah:

[Buddahaid]

I think some babies will be conceived in Italy today! It was interesting to see how Ferrari power negated the DRS advantage Mercedes had. Great race all around but I'm sad to see Vettel's star continuing to fade but at least this time it was all his own doing.

[Jimbuna]

I truly believe Hamilton now has an unassailable lead having won seven of the fourteen races thus far and a sixty three point lead.

[Red October1984]

I truly believe Hamilton now has an unassailable lead having won seven of the fourteen races thus far and a sixty three point lead.

Unfortunately I think you're right.

It's time to whip out ol' reliable....the song of my people so to say....

"Next year will be our year" - Ferrari Fans

[Jimbuna]

https://i.postimg.cc/jqFpmr4y/Hamilton2-640x480-640x418.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Buddahaid]

The only night race is upon us...
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.5-reasons-we-love-the-singapore-grand-prix.3vG029KA9fR86QzlRz3diq.html

Love the best onboards vid in the link.

[Buddahaid]

Well for once Mercedes found themselves on the back foot of strategy and failed to get a podium finish while Ferrari placed first and second. Oddly clean race for the first half followed by three safety car incidents which saved Ferrari's tires.

[Jimbuna]

The result made little to no effect on Hamiltons points lead but the battle between him and LeClerc next season should make for most interesting viewing.

[Red October1984]

The result made little to no effect on Hamiltons points lead but the battle between him and LeClerc next season should make for most interesting viewing.

I'm hoping for this. The Hybrid Era has been so one-sided for too long.

[Jimbuna]

Six races left and next up is Russia (SOCHI AUTODROM).

[Jimbuna]

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team have sacked four of their staff members and disciplined three more for racist bullying. The team launched an inquiry into racism at their Northamptonshire headquarters in July and concluded that the four men had breached their equality policy. They were dismissed on 2 August and their final appeal was held last week.

The Sun newspaper reported on Saturday that the abuse at the Brackley site included a member of staff allegedly being referred to as a “Muslim terrorist f**k”. During Ramadan the sacked workers, believed to be from the IT department, were reported as putting up a poll on which they signed and dated guesses of when their co-worker would break his fast.

A source told the paper: “This was a really horrible case of racist bullying. They had been picking on one Muslim guy for years. It all came to light when they pinned up the poll. The guys who were sacked had all signed and dated it. It’s outrageous, especially with Lewis being so outspoken about racism.”

Hamilton, who is in action at the Russian Grand Prix this weekend and is still the only black driver in Formula One, has long been a vocal opponent of racism and called for greater diversity in the sport.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/mercedes-f1-team-sack-four-over-racist-bullying-of-muslim-colleague/ar-AAI0waA?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout

Good riddance to them.

[Schroeder]

Thank you Ferrari!:yeah:
I came back after a couple of years to see what F1 is like today.

Thank you for reminding me why I stopped watching.
You saved precious hours of my future life that I don't have to spend on F1.:salute:
(and no, I couldn't stand team orders in favor of Schumacher or Vettel either. Let them race for farts sake!)

[Jimbuna]

Good to see the 'finger' man out :O:

Off downstairs to see the final third....GO HAMILTON!! :yeah:

[Jimbuna]

Hamilton wins and once again the 'finger' man is involved in a potentially controversial situation.

[Red October1984]

Off downstairs to see the final third....GO HAMILTON!! :yeah:

:(


Ah well. Ferrari gave me a couple weeks of hope. They're back on their BS now it seems.

[Buddahaid]

Really? Ferrari did brilliantly but chance favored Mercedes with a safety car incident at exactly the right time to give them the lead, shaving seconds off their pit stop, and then a PU failure for Seb. All planned out of course.

[Jimbuna]

Hamilton finishes third behind the winner Bottas and Vettel in second place in the Japanese Grand Prix meaning Mercedes have now won the Constructors Championship and only Bottas can catch Hamilton now.

The next race is in Mexico and if the results go the right way Hamilton could be crowned champion there.

[Jimbuna]

Hamilton is fourth on the grid at Mexico tomorrow and I believe any finish in the top seven will clinch him the world championship.

[Jimbuna]

How Hamilton can win the title in Mexico

-Win plus fastest lap with Bottas lower than third

-Win with Bottas lower than fourth

-Second plus fastest lap with Bottas lower than seventh

-Second with Bottas lower than seventh

-Second with Bottas lower than eighth if Bottas sets fastest lap

-Third and fastest lap with Bottas lower than eighth

-Third with Bottas lower than ninth

Failing any of the above he should succeed at the US Grand Prix next month.

[Jimbuna]

Hamilton wins and Bottas finishes in third place which means Hamilton is still four points short, so of to Austin Texas for next weeks race which should see Hamilton claiming his sixth championship title.

[Red October1984]

I'm actually going to attend the US GP in Austin next week. Super excited. It'll be my first F1 event.

As much as I don't like Hamilton, it will be cool to see a Championship win in person for my first F1 race.

[Jimbuna]

Lucky you :up:

[mapuc]

I'm actually going to attend the US GP in Austin next week. Super excited. It'll be my first F1 event.

As much as I don't like Hamilton, it will be cool to see a Championship win in person for my first F1 race.

A little reminder, do not forget to wear hearing protection ´cause the sound gets very very high..if you are near the race track.

Many years ago I was to Formula 3 I think it was and I didn't have any type of hearing protection with me...I had my fingers in my ears most of the time.

Enjoy the feeling of it...both by watching it irl and the feeling.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Hamilton takes blame for poor qualifying performance.

Hamilton need only finish eighth in Austin to claim a third straight drivers' championship and a sixth in all, while he will seal the title regardless of his finish if team-mate Valtteri Bottas fails to win the race.

However, with Bottas on pole after Saturday's Q3, Hamilton was frustrated he did not match his Mercedes colleague, running fifth fastest.

Given the Finn's impressive display, Hamilton acknowledged he had no excuse for finding himself on the third row of the grid.
"It's nothing to do with the car," he said. "I just didn't put the laps together today. The car had the capability to be on the front row and it was my fault."

TOP 10
Bottas
Vettel
Verstappen
Leclerc
Hamilton
Albon
Sainz
Norris
Ricciardo
Gasly
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/formula1/hamilton-takes-blame-for-poor-qualifying-performance/ar-AAJL0Yv?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKuoZ1vIUE0

[Red October1984]

First ever F1 event was awesome! :D


720-ish mile drive one way down to Austin, but managed to do it in ~11.5 hours on Thursday.



Thursday night, I casually bumped into Alexander Albon in the neighborhood I was staying in. So it was a pretty cool start to the weekend.


Friday morning, got to the track and watched all the support race practice sessions. The historic F1 cars had to have been my favorite.



Watched all weekend from the grass field next to Turn 1. I could see all of Turn 1 and all the way down the pit straight.



Cars sound fantastic in person, but they're definitely a lot quieter than I might have expected. But watching the practice sessions was great. Qualifying was exciting and on Race Day the track was sold out. The crowd was absolutely crazy.




I got autographs from Ross Brawn and Pierre Gasly. Got a picture with and an autograph from Antonio Giovinazzi. Just missed Kimi and Max by a few feet.



All in all, an incredible experience. Even though I don't like Lewis Hamilton, it was pretty special to be there for his championship win.


15 out of 10. Recommend very much. Will definitely be going next year and I think I might try to make it to the Canadian GP too.


Arrived back home at 0430 with just enough time to sleep a couple hours before my classes started at 0900. :salute:

[Buddahaid]

Love it, and loved it! It was a great race even if the track was bumpy, but hey, I want pro golfers to compete on municipal park courses on average maintenance days.:arrgh!:

Lewis is latinum but I'd really like to see him in an Alfa on race day, still, he is magic.

Bummed Seb had a right rear suspension failure and I have to wonder if it was compromised at the start giving his lack of pace, and happy to see Max not pushing the boundaries. In Mexico Max did have front down force issues, just like LeClerc did in the prior race, and bumped Hamilton who wasn't going to be elbowed into the grass. Max gets away with it because nobody has to pit, or retire, with damage but there was poetic justice later.

Don't get me wrong, I like Max, he pushes the limits but he doesn't always choose the best fights.

On to Interlagos.

[Jimbuna]

First ever F1 event was awesome! :D


720-ish mile drive one way down to Austin, but managed to do it in ~11.5 hours on Thursday.



Thursday night, I casually bumped into Alexander Albon in the neighborhood I was staying in. So it was a pretty cool start to the weekend.


Friday morning, got to the track and watched all the support race practice sessions. The historic F1 cars had to have been my favorite.



Watched all weekend from the grass field next to Turn 1. I could see all of Turn 1 and all the way down the pit straight.



Cars sound fantastic in person, but they're definitely a lot quieter than I might have expected. But watching the practice sessions was great. Qualifying was exciting and on Race Day the track was sold out. The crowd was absolutely crazy.




I got autographs from Ross Brawn and Pierre Gasly. Got a picture with and an autograph from Antonio Giovinazzi. Just missed Kimi and Max by a few feet.



All in all, an incredible experience. Even though I don't like Lewis Hamilton, it was pretty special to be there for his championship win.


15 out of 10. Recommend very much. Will definitely be going next year and I think I might try to make it to the Canadian GP too.


Arrived back home at 0430 with just enough time to sleep a couple hours before my classes started at 0900. :salute:

That must have been one helluva experience :yeah:

[Red October1984]

That must have been one helluva experience :yeah:


I've got to say, it really was.



I'm already running the numbers for a trip to Montreal next year. Going to try to make it to two GP's in 2020.




EDIT: Do any of you guys play the Codemasters F1 games?

[Jimbuna]

Not me.

[Buddahaid]

Well I have the Codemasters F1 2019 game now although I'm not really involved in it yet. I put it into my Steam games where I'm used to Assetto Corsa and find the user interface a bit obtuse so far.

But on another note, I joined F1.com so I could watch F1 Video and get my F1 fix. I've started in the archive and am 2/3's through the 1981 season races now. It's so strange watching how completely different the stewards and marshals handle car breakdowns and wrecks then. They move the damage off of the race track under yellow flag with no safety car and the drivers just zoom past like they're not there. :o

1981 is the first year they have full race video of.