The F1 Thread

[jimmy boo]

1 hour ago, doulikefish said:

Confirmed staying at Indy 

Surprised and pleased at that. Heading off to Charlotte straight after to jump in his car started by reserve driver. This could be a long night for him and us.

[Mr. Brightside]

The PR nonsense around the Indy 500 is completely insufferable, and then you have Americans being Americans with mentioning some sky fairy and thanking their military at every opportunity. It's fucking embarrassing. Also, it's not the best or most iconic motor race in the world, it's not even second.

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

There's some awful driving in this Indy 500. At lot of them seem determined to smack into the wall.

[Buzz Killington]

Honda engines blowing up.  I think this may be a repeat.

[GordonS]

3 hours ago, jimmy boo said:

I think you'll find it's a lot more nuanced than 'going left all day'. The drivers all say that the four corners on oval tracks have different characteristics depending on camber, bumps, track surface among other factors. I've been watching oval racing for decades now and very often find the action better than conventional racetracks and some of the best was Nigel Mansell in car footage during his 2 year stint there. Perhaps not to everyones taste which is fair enough.

IMO it's only more nuanced because there's nothing else to focus on. Other motor series don't have hyper-focus on those tiny details because they have too many other things to think about and deal with. To me it's the same with American Football - it's like rugby union if the only thing they ever did was the scrums and the first phase. They'd pay vastly more attention to every tiny detail because they'd have nothing else to think about.

Arguably F1 has too much focus on tyre strategy because there's not enough close racing and overtaking. They have to create interest artificially by requiring at least one tyre change and at least two different compounds during a race. If the racing was better they wouldn't need that.

[jimmy boo]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26752988/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2_tt_8_nm_0_q_100%20days

Last post here as obviously should be on the general thread. This is bang up to date unlike Netflix F1 thing a year out of date.

[Mr. Brightside]

O'Ward made a c**t of that, went too early. Fair play to Newgarden, seems like a decent guy from what I can tell.

[tinkerbelle]

Get Monaco into the sea. Top 10 finishers in exact same position as they started. Show pony event to appease the local lord snooties.

[Sarto Mutiny]

Monaco races have always been shit. I've been watching since 1987 and I think there have been three good races in that time, if that.

The last 7 laps in 1992 were fantastic. 1996 was fun. Genuinely struggling to think of any others.

[Gianfranco]

There was one in the rain maybe in the early 2000s but in general it is utter shite.

[Boo Khaki]

Aye Monaco used to be fun when it rained, and it used to be an absolute car-killer. Now that the cars can run practically indefinitely without failing, half of what made the Monaco GP interesting is gone, and if it doesn't rain...

[The Golden God]

Ocon might be getting dropped. 
 

Seen the podium and behind LeClerc you’ve got the Prince singing along to both anthems loving it meanwhile the Princess is stood next to him looking absolutely furious. 

[Mr. Brightside]

It would be absolute madness to drop Ocon, so they'll probably do it knowing Renault.

[vikingTON]

While I'm not wildly enthusiastic about keeping it, testerday's GP is less of a reason to bin Monaco and more of a reason to bin full fuel tanks and bring back refuelling with limited tanks that require pit stops. And while the cars are wide (we can always bin that unnecessary change), the diddies at the back managed a few legitimate overtakes so it's not actually impossible at all. 

If they were pushing at anywhere near a credible limit in terms of performance then there would have been enough drama when someone (Stroll) inevitably dumps it in the wall too. That's a wider issue with the current regulations at every race and not limited to Monaco.

[scottsdad]

1 hour ago, virginton said:

While I'm not wildly enthusiastic about keeping it, testerday's GP is less of a reason to bin Monaco and more of a reason to bin full fuel tanks and bring back refuelling with limited tanks that require pit stops. And while the cars are wide (we can always bin that unnecessary change), the diddies at the back managed a few legitimate overtakes so it's not actually impossible at all. 

If they were pushing at anywhere near a credible limit in terms of performance then there would have been enough drama when someone (Stroll) inevitably dumps it in the wall too. That's a wider issue with the current regulations at every race and not limited to Monaco.

I agree, but safety folk are bonkers nowadays. We'll never even see a standing start on a properly wet track again. I doubt we will see refuelling for the same reason.

Drop the need to use two compounds in a race and bin DRS, at least in qualifying, too.

[Spyro]

2 hours ago, virginton said:

While I'm not wildly enthusiastic about keeping it, testerday's GP is less of a reason to bin Monaco and more of a reason to bin full fuel tanks and bring back refuelling with limited tanks that require pit stops. And while the cars are wide (we can always bin that unnecessary change), the diddies at the back managed a few legitimate overtakes so it's not actually impossible at all. 

If they were pushing at anywhere near a credible limit in terms of performance then there would have been enough drama when someone (Stroll) inevitably dumps it in the wall too. That's a wider issue with the current regulations at every race and not limited to Monaco.

Totally agree. Even though they don't have refuelling, the battle between Kimi Antonelli and Ollie Bearman here is amazing. Shows what is possible when you have 2 brilliant racers going at it in Monaco. 

 

https://youtu.be/7Hp7NQKlkNY?si=-mDNmdj26Rclb7gS

[Iminavest]

12 hours ago, scottsdad said:

Drop the need to use two compounds in a race and bin DRS, at least in qualifying, too.

Alternatively make it mandatory 2 stop so there is at least some kind of strategy in play.

[vikingTON]

6 minutes ago, Iminavest said:

Alternatively make it mandatory 2 stop so there is at least some kind of strategy in play.

If it's mandatory two stops then the strategy will largely cancel each other out though. Refuelling with a race-distance limited tank means that some midtable outfit can split strategy and gamble on a one-stop with some tyre management. A safety car or similar can get them a big haul of points. While those who expect to be competitive can go for a faster (on paper) 2 or 3 stop strategy on light fuel and using their tyres fully to try to build enough of a gap to clear traffic. If they don't, well you'll be getting some overtaking attempts because they'll have no choice but to pass. 

That's how you get urgency and close to the edge driving, even at Monaco. 

[V.Aye.R]

Apologies if I've missed a better thread.... Any practical advice for attending the BTCC at Knockhill? Got a ticket for me and the wee man (6yo) for Sunday. Their website isn't too helpful regards parking, taking own food etc. 

[Gianfranco]

Parking is just on the grass on the hill at Knockhill - the Marshalls direct you where to go. A RWD car will struggle at certain parts if it’s a wet day. It’s usually mega busy on the Sunday. I get there between half 7 and 8 to avoid the long queues and you get a nosy round the paddock when it’s not rammed with people.
 

The food is expensive so I’d advise bringing something with you. There are loads of food stalls though. There are big screens at the hairpin and the other side of Duffus Dip so they are decent bits to watch. Also take waterproofs. The BTCC is class.