F1 2014 thread

Polish said:
Merc is threatening heavy upgrades to make their car even more competitive from Spain onwards.
I wonder if that's even needed, they have easily won each GP so far with little danger from the field.
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The whole idea behind this is just to try and stay ahead if the field. They are still quite weary of red bull.
 
S1lv3r H4wK said:
The whole idea behind this is just to try and stay ahead if the field. They are still quite weary of red bull.
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Agree, any team that doesn't move forward could quickly be overtaken in this sport. Brawn didn't have the best second half of their winning season.
 
Vital Statistics - the Spanish Grand Prix

Between them, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have led every lap in 2014, but did you know that Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado has led more laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya than both Mercedes drivers combined?

We present all the need-to-know facts, stats and trivia ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 Gran Premio de Espana Pirelli 2014…

Circuit: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Circuit length: 4.655 km

Number of corners: 16 (7 left, 9 right)

DRS zones: 2

Race laps: 66

Race distance: 307.104 km

2014 tyre compounds: Hard, Medium

Circuit lap record: 1m 21.670s - Kimi Raikkonen (2008), Ferrari

First world championship Grand Prix: 1951, Pedralbes (won by Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfa Romeo)

First world championship Grand Prix at Catalunya: 1991 (won by Nigel Mansell, Williams)

Number of races: 43 (23 - Catalunya; 9 - Jarama; 5 - Jerez, 4 - Montjuic Park; 2 - Pedralbes)

Number of races with at least one safety car appearance: Four of the last 14

Longest race at Catalunya: 1996 (1h 59m 49.307s)

Shortest race at Catalunya: 2006 (1h 26m 21.759s)

Last year’s pole position: 1m 20.718s, Nico Rosberg, Mercedes

Last year’s podium: 1 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 2 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus), 3 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari)

Most appearances (current field): 13 - Jenson Button; 12 - Fernando Alonso; 11 - Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa; 8 - Nico Rosberg; 6 - Adrian Sutil, Sebastian Vettel

Most wins (driver): 6 - Michael Schumacher; 3 - Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Mika Hakkinen; 2 - Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Ayrton Senna, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi; 1 - Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, Pastor Maldonado, Mark Webber, Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill, Gilles Villeneuve, Patrick Depailler, James Hunt, Jochen Mass, Niki Lauda, Graham Hill, Mike Hawthorn, Juan Manuel Fangio

Most wins (manufacturer): 12 - Ferrari; 8 - McLaren; 7 - Williams; 6 - Lotus; 2 - Red Bull; 1 - Alfa Romeo, Matra, March, Tyrrell, Ligier, Benetton, Renault, Brawn

Most wins (engine manufacturer): 12 - Ferrari, 11 - Ford/Cosworth, Renault; 5 - Mercedes; 3 - Honda; 1 - Alfa Romeo

Most pole positions (driver): 7 - Michael Schumacher; 4 - Ayrton Senna; 2 - Alberto Ascari, Jacky Ickx, Niki Lauda, Mario Andretti, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen, Mark Webber; 1- Chris Amon, Jochen Rindt, Jack Brabham, Ronnie Peterson, James Hunt, Nelson Piquet, Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, Pastor Maldonado, Nico Rosberg

Most pole positions (manufacturer): 13 - Ferrari; 8 - McLaren; 6 - Williams; 5 - Lotus; 2 - Ligier, Benetton, Red Bull; 1 - Mercedes, Brawn, Renault, Brabham, Lancia

Most pole positions (engine manufacturer): 13 - Ferrari; 10 - Renault; 8 - Ford/Cosworth; 5 - Honda, Mercedes; 1 - Lancia, Matra

Number of wins from pole at Catalunya: 17 wins from 23 races (74 percent)

Lowest winning grid position at Catalunya: 5th (Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 2013)

Laps led (current field): 149 - Fernando Alonso; 134 - Kimi Raikkonen; 56 - Felipe Massa; 41 - Sebastian Vettel; 37 - Pastor Maldonado; 33 - Jenson Button; 19 - Lewis Hamilton; 10 - Nico Rosberg; 2 - Esteban Gutierrez

Most podium places (current field): 7 - Fernando Alonso; 4 - Kimi Raikkonen; 3- Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa; 2 - Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel; 1 - Pastor Maldonado

Number of Spaniards to have started at least one Grand Prix: 11

Number of victories for Spanish drivers in the Spanish Grand Prix: Two (Fernando Alonso 2006, 2013)

Fascinating fact: The Catalunya circuit played host to the cycling time trial event during the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

Turbo history: If a Renault-powered car wins Sunday’s race it will be the first Renault turbo victory since the 1986 Detroit Grand Prix. Similarly, if a Ferrari-powered car wins the race it’ll be the first Ferrari turbo win since the 1988 Italian Grand Prix.

Percentage of 2014 season complete: 21 percent

Maximum number of world championship points still available to a single driver: 400

Significant running sequences going into this weekend: Ferrari - 71 consecutive races in the points; Nico Rosberg - 13 consecutive races in the points; Max Chilton - 23 consecutive classified finishes; Lewis Hamilton - three consecutive wins
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www.formula1.com
 
Jeez looking at the current standing, Mercedes is dominating!
 
Polish said:
Totally, I think they will win the championship early in the year.

Pity, not nice for viewing fans.
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Depends if you're a Hamilton / Rosberg / Merc fan or not :D
I'm in it for the racing, I don't put everything on the WC, though I do enjoy that bit.
 
Polish said:
Totally, I think they will win the championship early in the year.

Pity, not nice for viewing fans.
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Ag, if the racing behind them's still good it's not a total loss. If a single team is destined to run away with things it's just nice for that team to not be Red Bull for a change. And, love or loathe him, I think Hamilton deserves another title or 2; when he's on song few can pedal a car like that oke.
 
HapticSimian said:
Ag, if the racing behind them's still good it's not a total loss. If a single team is destined to run away with things it's just nice for that team to not be Red Bull for a change. And, love or loathe him, I think Hamilton deserves another title or 2; when he's on song few can pedal a car like that oke.
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Meh.. I'm not convinced of his pure talent. I would say Alonso has much more of a champion drive. I'm a Vettel supporter but even he is not showing the fight I expected.
 
S1lv3r H4wK said:
Meh.. I'm not convinced of his pure talent. I would say Alonso has much more of a champion drive. I'm a Vettel supporter but even he is not showing the fight I expected.
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Alonso's dogged, sure, and able to cope with less than stellar equipment better than most, but Hamilton's raw pace and feel for the car is something special. It's like a lesser Prost / Senna comparison in my view.

Vettel's a chop. :D
 
S1lv3r H4wK said:
Meh.. I'm not convinced of his pure talent. I would say Alonso has much more of a champion drive. I'm a Vettel supporter but even he is not showing the fight I expected.
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Take a look at how many wins Vettel has had from anywhere but the front row...
 
S1lv3r H4wK said:
Sort of what lewis is doing now? You may express your opinion but being a 4 time world champion by 25 does not come by pure luck.
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No, it comes by Adrian Newey. I've said it before, around 80% of all drivers WC in the past 20 years have come via a Stepney or Newey designed car.

Let me put it to you this way.
2007 Mclaren.

You can't attribute Hamilton's success to his car and in the same breath say Vettel got there on pure talent lol. Why not just look at Vettel vs his teammate this year then? And yes, compared to Vettel, Hamilton has won way more % wise from further down the grid.
 
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Which does not change the fact that I am a McLaren for life supporter and also does not change the fact that despite serious PR gibberish we will again win nothing this year.

So there, bleak for me, but seriously love F1, everything about it.

/puts down the emotional pen
 
Polish said:
Which does not change the fact that I am a McLaren for life supporter and also does not change the fact that despite serious PR gibberish we will again win nothing this year.

So there, bleak for me, but seriously love F1, everything about it.

/puts down the emotional pen
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I'm loving supporting a couple of drivers as well as being a Macca die hard. I'm disappointed for Macca but loving watching Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso and Ricciardo in particular. It's about time we had an Aussie winning a WC IMO. I'd also love to see Alonso win another WC.

I wish Button would find his groove, but this isn't the car to shine in.
 
iaywtimnbe said:
No, it comes by Adrian Newey. I've said it before, around 80% of all drivers WC in the past 20 years have come via a Stepney or Newey designed car.

Let me put it to you this way.
2007 Mclaren.

You can't attribute Hamilton's success to his car and in the same breath say Vettel got there on pure talent lol. Why not just look at Vettel vs his teammate this year then? And yes, compared to Vettel, Hamilton has won way more % wise from further down the grid.
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I see what you are saying and unfortunately its the era we live in where it is 70% car and 30% driver more of the racing is done on laptops than on track. I would foam by the mouth if we had one season with identical cars to settle the battle for driver superiority once and for all.
 
S1lv3r H4wK said:
I see what you are saying and unfortunately its the era we live in where it is 70% car and 30% driver more of the racing is done on laptops than on track. I would foam by the mouth if we had one season with identical cars to settle the battle for driver superiority once and for all.
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In principle the idea sounds great, but I think commercially it would compromise F1.

F1 is built on a technological research framework, teams who do more research will likely be the first to have the correct parts to win races. This costs money and drives sponsorship with ROI via marketing exposure.

It is the business that keeps the sport alive and not the other way. Either Walker of Brundle once said that F1 is a Business, and a Sport once every alternate Sunday, which is very true.

Its survival of the fittest, but not having that aspect in the sport I think would be catastrophical.
 
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