The Official Formula 1 Racing Thread

[Supafly]

On to the final race, on 25, 26, 27 NOVEMBER 2016, in Dubai

Previous winners include:

2009 Sebastian Vettel
2010 Sebastian Vettel
2011 Lewis Hamilton
2012 Kimi Raikkonen
2013 Sebastian Vettel
2014 Lewis Hamilton
2015 Nico Rosberg

Can this be set up any better? The last two winners are the two who are going to fight this out this year. Excellent!

And here are the first three in the points about who will be the champion of 2016:

1 NICO ROSBERG GER MERCEDES 367
2 LEWIS HAMILTON GBR MERCEDES 355
3 DANIEL RICCIARDO AUS RED BULL RACING 246

A twelve-point lead, that maes it safer for Rosberg, but I am sure he wants to finish the season and the championship by winning the last race, like last year

 

[Chopper3000]

Here's hoping for a Rosberg engine failure.

 

[Supafly]

Here's hoping for a Rosberg engine failure.

Well, for one, we can probably rule out anothr rain race

Possibly a super-hot heat race would be interesting, making it a tire-poker game.

 

[Supafly]

I bet those of you who have viewed the last race have shared my anger, as in the last laps, Hamilton, who has the lead - as usual, you could say - in front of Rosberg, Vettel and Verstappen, took it EXTREMELY slow, as he seemed to make Rosberg get into fights with Vettel and Verstappen, and probably slide down beyond #3 and thus still making Hamilton the champion. Rosberg kept his cool, and blocked some half-hearted attacks by Vettel, and went on to finish second and thus winning the championship for his first time.

I may havde done the same, if I were in Hamiltons shoes. Doesn't matter, he made it

Nico Rosberg is the 2016 Formula 1 world champion, but does he deserve it?

After a decade in Formula 1, Nico Rosberg is finally world champion.

He's won nine of the 21 races in 2016, beating Lewis Hamilton by five points.

The Briton had mechanical issues to contend with, most notably in Malaysia when an engine failure almost certainly cost him victory and swung the balance in Rosberg's favour.

So did Rosberg deserve to win the title? Or was it more down to Hamilton's mechanical misfortunes? We take in the views of the world of F1 and look at some of the stats that may, or may not, help you decide..

...

http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/37813595

 

[dpantski]

I think Hamilton is getting a lot of undeserved flak on this. He knows full well that Rosberg has had perfect reliability and is in the fastest car just like he is. After Rosberg didn't lose a place at the start this was really his only possible way of winning the championship. He never drove dangerously and honestly could've backed Rosberg up to the pack much earlier but chose on that occasion to do the lap times the team asked him to. He knows if he obeys the team he's relying on reliability to win, Mercedes rightly from a team perspective want to win with their drivers in 1st and 2nd every race but on that day it directly went against one of their drivers interests and they should've just let them race.

Rosberg made zero attempt to pass Hamilton, you might say he didn't need to take the risk but if you reversed the roles I'm damn sure Hamilton wouldn't have sat meekly behind Rosberg and raced for 2nd. Rosberg was extremely professional at the end of the year in doing enough to secure 2nd places, but it did clearly make it look like he only won the championship because of superior reliability.

Once again Verstappen totally destroyed Ricciardo in the race, now he was helped by Rosberg being ********* to risk passing him for ages and holding the other guys (including Ricciardo ) up but its still got to sting for Ricciardo when he outqualifies his teammate, his teammates hits someone at turn one and spins to the back of the pack and still beats him.

Was nice to see Massa pick up points in his final race too.

 

[Supafly]

Well, Lewis Hamilton won't have to worry about Nico Rosbeg anymore - Rosberg is leaving Formula 1, effective immdiately.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/s...sberg-formula-one-champion-retires-at-31.html

In the article he argues the title was the one thing he wanted to achieve, and now it is settled.

This really proves the point:
Hamilton has an ambition, if not hunger for the sport Rosberg just doesn't match. Funny that just as Nico developed an edge in this season, when he was ready to prove he is a champion, he drops out.

Good riddance. Mercedes has a tough job to pick a new teammate for Hamilton, but I am sure F1 won't get boring next season :coolthumb:

 

[dpantski]

Well, Lewis Hamilton won't have to worry about Nico Rosbeg anymore - Rosberg is leaving Formula 1, effective immdiately.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/s...sberg-formula-one-champion-retires-at-31.html

In the article he argues the title was the one thing he wanted to achieve, and now it is settled.

This really proves the point:
Hamilton has an ambition, if not hunger for the sport Rosberg just doesn't match. Funny that just as Nico developed an edge in this season, when he was ready to prove he is a champion, he drops out.

Good riddance. Mercedes has a tough job to pick a new teammate for Hamilton, but I am sure F1 won't get boring next season :coolthumb:

Its probably between Wehrlein and Ocon, Ocon was surprisingly favoured when given the ***** India drive so will Mercedes do so again? Personally think Wehrlein would be the better choice but maybe that's just because I've seen more of him.

There's been talk of other drivers but I think most others would be too expensive to lure away (Alonso for example) or retired (Button/Massa) or not fast enough (everyone else virtually). I wonder since there's a link between Merc and ***** India whether Perez is in the mix for the drive too?

 

[Supafly]

I am reading articles from media close to Mercedes, and Wehrlein seems to be a definite prime target.

I would not rule out Alonso, though. Ecclestone favors him (Yeah, he isn't on Mercedes team ), and he is extremely hungry and pissed after the last season. And he has enough ego to deal with Hamilton. That could swing the vote, because a rookie would be probably be totally dominated by Lewis.

 

[zeeblofowl_1969]

Don't let the door hit you in the ass guys a second tier driver anyway.

 

[Rey C.]

Wow! :eek: I just got back from a nice weekend and saw this on Grand Prix 24/7. I thought that it was some sort of weird, out of date April Fool's joke. This is the most shocking thing that I've seen since Prost retired, once it was determined that his arch nemesis, Ayrton Senna, would be joining Williams in 1994. I don't even know what to say.

 

[Supafly]

This is GREAT news:

Formula One: French Grand Prix to return in 2018 after decade-long absence

Paris: The French Grand Prix is returning to the Formula One calendar in 2018 after a decade-long absence at Le Castellet's Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille, organisers announced on Monday.

"The French Grand Prix is making its comeback," Christian Estrosi, president of the Provence-Alpes-Cotes d'Azur region told a press conference in Paris.
Estrosi made the announcement at the Automobile Club de France which helped stage the first ever grand prix in 1906.
The desired optimal date for the new French race would be late August or early September 2018, between the usual dates for the Belgium and Italian GP races.
French driver Romain Grosjean was one of the first to welcome the news.
"Really super happy for all the French fans who will have their Grand Prix and who can come and support us" the Haas team driver posted on Twitter.
Felipe Massa in a Ferrari won the last F1 race staged in France in 2008 at Magny-Cours, when a major budget deficit was shouldered by the French state and local authorities.

...

http://www.firstpost.com/sports/for...n-2018-after-decade-long-absence-3140950.html

Sad news:

Formula 1 calendar 2017: German GP dropped & Brazil in doubt

Germany has been dropped from next year's Formula 1 calendar and the Brazilian Grand Prix is also in doubt.

The calendar contains 20 races with Brazil listed as provisional.

F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone told governing body the FIA he was still in talks with Brazil's president and could not confirm the race's place on the schedule until January.

The Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, which had also been in doubt, has been confirmed.

Germany was unable to complete a deal for the race to be held at Hockenheim. In the country's biennial swap deal, it is the turn of the Nurburgring but that circuit has financial problems and cannot host the F1 race.

The season starts in Australia on 26 March and ends in Abu Dhabi on 26 November. The British Grand Prix is on 16 July.

...

http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/38160269

Just as I was beginning to celebrate german Grand Prix again in F1

 

[The Identifier]

Wow! :eek: I just got back from a nice weekend and saw this on Grand Prix 24/7. I thought that it was some sort of weird, out of date April Fool's joke. This is the most shocking thing that I've seen since Prost retired, once it was determined that his arch nemesis, Ayrton Senna, would be joining Williams in 1994. I don't even know what to say.

Yep, I was truly shocked also to begin with but the more I thought about it the more I could understand the reasons why he might have reached that decision and I don't have an issue with it like a lot of people do. It's his life, he can do what he wants with it.

As for a replacement, I think I'll be disappointed if it's anyone other than Alonso - and that's probably a pipe *****. If it's Bottas like it looks like it's going to be, I will be underwhelmed. I like Bottas, but he's not someone I can see threatening Lewis Hamilton. He will be someone that is happy to play the team game and not cause the team any issues. ie. will play second fiddle. Mercedes would welcome such a situation after what they've had to deal with for the past three years, but it's not what the fans want to see.

Assuming that Mercedes' dominance continues next season, and let's hope to goodness it doesn't... I would see Hamilton winning the title as a foregone conclusion and that's not a good way to start the year. It is widely anticipated that they won't have such an advantage over their rivals next season, and we can only hope that turns out to be the case. We won't know until the cars hit the track.

It seems crazy that the hottest seat in town is available and Mercedes seem to be quite restricted as to who they can get on board due to contractual agreements, but that's the situation we find ourselves in.

 

[larss]

Next season is all new. You never know who is going to come out on top when there are regulation changes like there will be next year.
Mostly it is down to chassis design, given more weight and width to the cars along with fatter boots to give more grip and therefore hopefully faster times. Engines remain pretty much the same so Mercedes may still have an advantage there but the other manufacturers really should have caught up by now.

 

[zeeblofowl_1969]

Next season is all new. You never know who is going to come out on top when there are regulation changes like there will be next year.
Mostly it is down to chassis design, given more weight and width to the cars along with fatter boots to give more grip and therefore hopefully faster times. Engines remain pretty much the same so Mercedes may still have an advantage there but the other manufacturers really should have caught up by now.

Boots.
Love the English.
You guys are awesome!!!

 

[Supafly]

Video about new regulations on car design

 

[Rey C.]

I've read rumors that some of the teams are going to go back to those ugly shark fins on the engine covers again. I really hope that that's not the case. I **** those things. I hated them on F1 cars and I **** them just as much on LMP cars.

When I heard that they were going back to turbos several years ago, my hope was that we'd also see a return to roll hoops and could dispense with airboxes. The clean look that we had in the 80's F1 cars and in CART Champ/Indy cars was about as aesthetically pleasing as it gets IMO.

Senna in a McLaren F1 car

Senna in a Penske CART Indy car

 

[Supafly]

I am pretty expectant regarding the fresh design of the various cars. And if this really results in better corner speed this will probably equalize the field a bit, too.

 

[Rey C.]

Mercedes finally confirm the worst kept secret in Formula One.


Mercedes give Bottas his biggest break

It’s been 45 days since Nico Rosberg dropped the bombshell of his immediate retirement from Formula One. And it left the team with a conundrum: how to best fill the vacant seat alongside three-time champion Lewis Hamilton in order to defend the Constructors’ Championship?

Following six weeks of detailed evaluation, deliberation and negotiation, the answer can now be confirmed officially: we signed Valtteri Bottas this morning. The 27-year-old native of Nastola, Finland has completed four seasons in Formula One with Williams, making 77 starts and scoring 9 career podiums so far.

“Sometimes in life, unexpected circumstances provide interesting opportunities. Nico’s decision in December was a big surprise – certainly a challenging situation for the team to handle. But weathering the storm makes you more resilient and we see this as another opportunity for the team to grow,” explained Toto Wolff as he introduced the fourth driver to race for the Silver Arrows in the modern era.


I've never been wowed by Valtteri. He's always struck me as a competent, but not a top tier racer. I mean, it's not like he ever dominated Massa at Williams. Maybe at Mercedes he'll up his game. But if he doesn't, then I figure that a guy who was just a bit faster than Massa will be destroyed by Hamilton. I think that he'll make a good (non-threatening) wingman for Hamilton. And maybe that's what Mercedes want, after four years of constant fireworks between Hamilton and Rosberg.

Personally, I was hoping to see Wehrlein get the seat. But from reports, he's like the second coming of Lewis (as far as his attitude and personality). So maybe Mercedes needed a break from the drama, and a chance to see if Wehrlein will develop into the kind of driver who may take Hamilton's seat once he retires or leaves for greener pastures at some point.

 

[Supafly]

Can't wait to see how he does in a top-performing car!

Here is a video I just found, about some of the most important engineering steps that revolutionized racing

 

[dpantski]

Bottas is somewhat hard to rate since he's had 2 teammates that aren't that highly rated in Maldonado and Massa but he has shown his racecraft multiple times keeping drivers behind him at the end of races (most notably Raikkonen).

Its certainly looks like a sink or swim year for him, but after watching his performances for a few years he'll probably beat Hamilton in a few races pace wise and be fairly competitive for the rest of the year. I really wouldn't be that surprised if he won the championship if Mercedes still have the fastest car on the grid. I don't think we truly know how he stacks up against the best drivers in F1 yet so I'm interested in seeing how it turns out.