Formula 1

[Shangri La]

We are in the 2nd race of 2017 season! Didn't see a new thread and thought I'd post a quick one. Went to F1 Shanghai on Saturday and Sunday. One practice session was shortened/cancelled due to weather conditions and it was nice of Hamilton to walk across the track to give away signed hats to the fans and thank their support. On Sunday I decided to not bring my camera and thoroughly enjoyed the race without being distracted by taking photos. Track was wet when race started and it was supposed to rain. But fortunately weather held and after a few laps drivers started switching to dry tires. Lots of drama right from the beginning - crashes/safty cars. Hamilton led the way througout. Vettel, my favourate driver, had a few brilliant overtakes, a couple of which including the one passed Verstappen to clinch the 2nd spot happened right in front of me. The crowd was really envolved and atmosphere was amazing. We may see a close race between the drivers and constructors in 2017. Really excited.

These photos are from Saturday. Sunday's atmosphere was even better. Champion and runner-up get a special treatment of their shots lol.

 

[QuentinFederer]

We are in the 2nd race of 2017 season! Didn't see a new thread and thought I'd post a quick one. Went to F1 Shanghai on Saturday and Sunday. One practice session was shortened/cancelled due to weather conditions and it was nice of Hamilton to walk across the track to give away signed hats to the fans and thank their support. On Sunday I decided to not bring my camera and thoroughly enjoyed the race without being distracted by taking photos. Track was wet when race started and it was supposed to rain. But fortunately weather held and after a few laps drivers started switching to dry tires. Lots of drama right from the beginning - crashes/safty cars. Hamilton led the way througout. Vettel, my favourate driver, had a few brilliant overtakes, a couple of which including the one passed Verstappen to clinch the 2nd spot happened right in front of me. The crowd was really envolved and atmosphere was amazing. We may see a close race between the drivers and constructors in 2017. Really excited.

These photos are from Saturday. Sunday's atmosphere was even better. Champion and runner-up get a special treatment of their shots lol.

Awesome photos! I used to follow F1 really closely but I just can't get into it with the V6 engines. I was a big fan of Mark Webber and Kamui Kobayashi.

 

[Vcore89]

Lewis Hamilton: Fernando Alonso to Mercedes in 2018 'not going to happen'
Lewis Hamilton has dismissed suggestions that Fernando Alonso could once again be his teammate in Formula One by joining him at Mercedes in 2018.

The Spaniard's future at McLaren beyond the end of 2017 has been cast into fresh doubt after the Honda-backed team made a disappointing start to the new campaign, following a miserable pre-season. Alonso's three-year deal runs out at the end of the current season, amid speculation he could replace Valtteri Bottas at the reigning world champions in 2018.

Last December Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted the German manufacturer had considered Alonso as a potential replacement for the retired world champion Nico Rosberg. In January he said Mercedes will be keeping its driver options open for next season, despite having confidence that new recruit Bottas could match the team's high expectations.

"It's not going to happen," Hamilton told PA when asked about the speculation. "Valtteri is fantastic here at the team. He was very, very fast at the last race [Australia]. He has obviously got a lot of potential and a lot of growth to go, but it is all about finding the right balance in the team.

"So far Valtteri and I have a great balance and the scales weigh up nicely. If you have got two kilos on either side, and then take the two kilos off and put four on, what is the point? You need the balance."

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Hamilton and Alonso were previously teammates at McLaren in 2007, a season in which the drivers' relationship quickly deteriorated as they fought for the F1 world title. Alonso returned to Renault the following season after relations between himself and the Woking-based outfit broke down beyond the point of repair during a tense year.

At the season-opener in Melbourne, Hamilton, who claimed his 54th career victory in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix, said the sport needs Alonso to be in a competitive car again.

 

[Man of steel]

The first 2 races look promising in terms of the championship. I can't believe that in the last 10 years since lewis came on the scene we've never really had a Hamilton vs Vettee championship fight since both have dominated the last ten years winning a combined 50% of races.

 

[Man of steel]

Awesome photos! I used to follow F1 really closely but I just can't get into it with the V6 engines. I was a big fan of Mark Webber and Kamui Kobayashi.

It doesn't help when some of the sound of the V6s are muffled and aren't loud on tv like they are in real life.

 

[QuentinFederer]

It doesn't help when some of the sound of the V6s are muffled and aren't loud on tv like they are in real life.

Yeah, the sound is pretty poor and the gaps between the teams are too big. Anyone could win in the Mercedes.

 

[Shangri La]

They're applying wet standing start rules again to spice things up in 2017.

https://www.formula1.com/en/video.html

 

[Vcore89]

Fernando Alonso to compete in 2017 Indy 500
3:08 PM BST
Nate SaundersF1 Assistant Editor

Fernando Alonso will make a stunning Indy 500 debut this year in a McLaren entry powered by Honda and run by the Andretti Autosport team.

The shock announcement was made on Wednesday by McLaren, who will be returning to Indianapolis for the first time in 38 years. Alonso will drive a Dallara DW12 chassis with an engine limited to IndyCar regulations. As the Indy 500 clashes with the Monaco Grand Prix on May 28, the two-time world champion will sit out the iconic street race. McLaren will confirm his replacement "in due course", though it is likely to be a call-up for Jenson Button, who moved from a race seat into an ambassadorial role for this season.

The move will see Alonso team up with former Manor driver Alexander Rossi, who won last year's 100th edition as a rookie. Alonso will fly to Indianapolis from Barcelona immediately after the Spanish Grand Prix, where he will spend two weeks practicing with the car before the race.

The Spaniard said he is already relishing the chance of driving at the event.

"I'm immensely excited that I'll be racing in this year's Indy 500, with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport," he said. "The Indy 500 is one of the most famous races on the global motorsport calendar, rivaled only by the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco Grand Prix, and it's of course a regret of mine that I won't be able to race at Monaco this year.

"But Monaco will be the only 2017 Grand Prix I'll be missing, and I'll be back in the cockpit of the McLaren-Honda MCL32 for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in early June."

McLaren CEO Zak Brown said: "As an American, albeit one who fell in love with Formula 1 at a very young age, I've always regarded the Indy 500 as a fantastic motor race.

"For that reason I'm particularly delighted to have been able to bring McLaren back to Indianapolis in my very first year as McLaren's Executive Director. Michael [Andretti] is an old friend of mine, and a man I respect enormously, and his Andretti Autosport organisation is one of the best in the business. Michael is a winner - indeed his team won the Indy 500 last year with Alexander Rossi, who will be one of Fernando's team-mates at Indy next month - and I couldn't be happier that Fernando will be making his IndyCar debut in one of Michael's cars."

 

[augustobt]

THAT was unexpected.

 

[bezs]

That's just so random missing Monaco to race in the Indy 500.

 

[augustobt]

That's just so random missing Monaco to race in the Indy 500.

Last time it happened was on the 60s with Jim Clark.

 

[THE MAN]

I would like to see more F1 drivers at Indy....that would be cool.

 

[Vcore89]

Juan Pablo Montoya might be enticed to get back to F1 racing, unlikely?

 

[Man of steel]

First pole for the Fin

 

[JW10S]

Part of the appeal of motor racing for me are the cars themselves and I really like the look of the new cars--longer, lower, wider, very cool. Big improvement over the last couple of years. Good to see Ferrari back in the mix as Mercedes has had such superior cars the last few years. I'm sure Hamilton is still sore that his new young teammate basically stole the last race at the start.

 

[Bartelby]

Those giant fins at the back of the cockpit, which are disguised by the paintwork, make the cars look rather ugly once you notice them.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Those giant fins at the back of the cockpit, which are disguised by the paintwork, make the cars look rather ugly once you notice them.

Just like a tall slim blonde with nice legs, but then you realize she has huge shoulders.

 

[Shangri La]

Those fins do look ugly. But here's a video explaning what the fin does

 

[rainingaces]

Those giant fins at the back of the cockpit, which are disguised by the paintwork, make the cars look rather ugly once you notice them.

Which Fin, there are two of them?

 

[Bartelby]

Improved cornering probably just makes over-taking at corners harder.

Calling it a shark fin makes it seem sexy and powerful, but it is still ugly:

 

[Rafaisdabest]

Yay Dan Ricciardo came 3rd ...

 

[Shangri La]

Lots of drama, almost matching last years Hamilton/Rosberg crash lol. Vettle overtaking Bottas at lap 25 was total madness (was Bottas' defense even legal??). Ferrari's pit stop choice was very questionable especially Vettle's 2nd one, which very likely cost him the win, though his defense coming out of the stop against Hamilton was beautiful. Alonso finally got an engine that lasted him the whole race lol.

 

[-NN-]

If anything stopped Vettel from winning it was the VSC and the fact that Merc bided their time in pit-stopping Hamilton under it as to make sure that Ferrari couldn't respond just as the VSC was ending, which quickly earned Hamilton about 8 seconds. Without that, and without Bottas playing spoiler, Ferrari would have pitted later (they had to pit Vettel early to maintain track position and it only just worked out) and Hamilton would have had to use up a lot more juice in his softs to catch Vettel on the mediums. He'd have still likely caught Vettel by the end of the race given that there were so many laps to play out, but making the pass for the lead would have been much harder. You say that Vettel's second pitstop was questionable but if they'd have waited a lap longer then Hamilton would have had track position on the faster tyre.

 

[Man of steel]

Weirhlein should have got driver of the day. Outstanding drive. P8 in the sauber.
While stroll and palmer keep getting destroyed by their teammates

 

[-NN-]

Wehrlein seems a real talent, as do Sainz and Verstappen. Vandoorne is disappointing MASSIVELY so far. I know he's up against a tiger in Alonso but he's severely underperforming. However, I don't believe for a second that Wehrlein performed quite at the level that Vettel and Hamilton did in terms of extracting race pace on the limit. I'd be surprised if he's as good as them already and I think there's still some way to go, but in context his drive was brilliant and he probs does deserve driver of the day for the Spanish GP.

 

[Man of steel]

I don't know whats wrong with vandoorne lately. After last year at bahrain i had high expectations.
Mow he's just not performing well. Maybe he needs to change his driving style. Because these cars are separating the men from the boys. There's huge gaps between teammates for a few teams.

 

[Shangri La]

I wonder how fast would an F1 car lap Nürburgring. Under 5 minutes?

https://nurburgringlaptimes.com/lap-times-top-100/

 

[chikoo]

Those fins do look ugly. But here's a video explaning what the fin does

they are not fins. They are sails.

 

[chikoo]

I plan to enter F1 next year and will be driving this

 

[JW10S]

I don't mind at all the 'shark fins', they make the camel hump of the air intake less pronounced to me. While I like the look of the Lotus Bartelby posted that was from a long time ago, and I've come to accept that F1 cars will never look that clean again. But as I posted earlier I much prefer the look of the current cars over the last few years by a mile. Looking forward to good race this weekend. And as a side note I do understand Alonso's decision to race the Indy 500, you only live once...

 

[THE MAN]

Alright....Kimi on pole

 

[Bartelby]

play follow the leader ... Kimi!

 

[Vcore89]

INDIANAPOLIS -- Fernando Alonso's Indy 500 debut ended in circumstances he has grown used to in Formula One: a Honda engine failure.

Nate Saunders
F1 Assistant Editor

Jared Tomlin Getty Images

 

[Shangri La]

These street races are really dangerous. I genuinely believe if the exact same circuit was built properly with grass/sand cushion zones, drivers would be much more comfortable pushing for more, resulting in improved lap times. Some could argue this is the 'charm' of street circuits, but I see more danger than charm. That said, Vamos Vettel!

 

[QuentinFederer]

These street races are really dangerous. I genuinely believe if the exact same circuit was built properly with grass/sand cushion zones, drivers would be much more comfortable pushing for more, resulting in improved lap times. That said, Vamos Vettel!

Street circuits give the sport character, and a much needed challenge for the drivers. The best drivers always find time on a street circuit.

 

[chikoo]

These street races are really dangerous. I genuinely believe if the exact same circuit was built properly with grass/sand cushion zones, drivers would be much more comfortable pushing for more, resulting in improved lap times. Some could argue this is the 'charm' of street circuits, but I see more danger than charm. That said, Vamos Vettel!

Death is charming. For some. For a whole lot. I wont deny it.

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

2017 Monaco was very... Uneventful.

 

[bigserving]

It is so hard to pass there that Monaco has become such the race of, don't hit the walls, enjoy the casinos, and move on to the next race.

 

[chmee]

Monaco isn't a race anymore. They should keep the parties there, but move the GP to some more suitable track nearby. Singapore has taken clearly over in the street race department.

As for Fernando he put in a very good rookie performance in Indy. If he just could get rid of the woefull Honda engines he would be the man to beat again.

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

It is so hard to pass there that Monaco has become such the race of, don't hit the walls, enjoy the casinos, and move on to the next race.

I mean, the actual race was the qualifying rounds.

 

[Bartelby]

Monaco was decided by Ferrari management who rigged the pit stops so that Vettel would win.

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

Monaco was decided by Ferrari management who rigged the pit stops so that Vettel would win.

Yeah that was kind of BS. They brought Raikkonen in so early. After that, Vettel went ape-**** so he could build a cushion before his (much later) pit stop.

 

[bigserving]

By stopping him later, it ensured that Vettel would have fresher tires later in the race. Kimi had no chance and was only really there to block for Vettel just in case.

 

[chikoo]

vaaaaaaaaaaa VoooVoooVooo vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa VoooVoooVooo vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa VoooVoooVooo vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa VoooVoooVooo VoooVaaaVoooVaaa vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

That is what I like best of the Formula 1

 

[Shangri La]

I wonder how fast would an F1 car lap Nürburgring. Under 5 minutes?

https://nurburgringlaptimes.com/lap-times-top-100/

I have found a close estimate.

A MB AMG C63 laps Nürburgring in 8:01. And on an unknown circuit, it laps in 2:28, a Redbull F1 laps in 1:41. By that calculation, the F1 car can lap Nürburgring in 5:26.

Further anylysis: the exhibition race was staged and the F1 car wasn't nearly pushed to its limit (neither was the AMG but the F1 obviously had more headroom). Upon closer look, the track appears to be Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, and best F1 lap time there is 1:24 by Michael Schumacher. Using 1:30, we have an estimated laptime of 4:51 for an F1 car on Nürburgring. So 5 minutes is very doable.

I looked online and didn't find any good estimate backed up by actual numbers. But here on TT you hear it first on the Internet: 5 minutes for a modern F1 car to lap Nürburgring!

PS: BMW engineers did some lap simulations in 2006 and estimated that the BMW-Sauber F1.06 could lap Nürburgring in 5min 15.8sec, which reinforces my calculation.

 

[augustobt]

Canada this weekend. Hopefully we'll have a (proper) wet race.

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

Canada this weekend. Hopefully we'll have a (proper) wet race.

Is the forecast calling for rain?

I wish for safety for all the racers, but man, wet races are super exciting to watch.

 

[Shangri La]

Is the forecast calling for rain?

I wish for safety for all the racers, but man, wet races are super exciting to watch.

Especially with the return of wet standing start:

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

There's a 50% chance of thunderstorms throughout Sunday.

 

[QuentinFederer]

There's a 50% chance of thunderstorms throughout Sunday.

Hopefully we can have a repeat of 2011. That was just the most awesome performance from Button that day.