F1 2014 thread

[Aventus]

That said, if Hamilton and Rosberg had pushed each other for the duration I suspect the gap back to the next car would've been a lot more than 20-odd seconds...

I Agree, Rosberg did not have to push the car to its limits, so they probably could have finished much further up the road.

 

[Polish]

Kobayashi cleared over first-lap accident

Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi has been cleared of any blame over his first-lap clash with Williams’ Felipe Massa in Australia in Sunday.

The Japanese driver had been summoned to the stewards after crashing into the back of Massa’s car as the pair approached the first corner of the race, eliminating both cars on the spot.

However, having reviewed technical data provided by Caterham, the stewards determined that the incident was ‘caused by a serious technical failure completely outside the control of the driver’.

Caterham have been directed to work with the FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer to determine the cause of the systems failure.

www.formula1.com

 

[thestaggy]

Even with his little mishap, my driver of the day was Bottas. By far the raciest driver on the day. Glad he got a lot of camera time.

And with that result Williams' 2014 campaign is already more successful than 2013 was.

 

[Polish]

Even with his little mishap, my driver of the day was Bottas. By far the raciest driver on the day. Glad he got a lot of camera time.

And with that result Williams' 2014 campaign is already more successful than 2013 was.

Yes, Bottas definitely impressed. Goes a lot to show how potential can stay hidden in a slow car.

Having said, let us see how the season unfolds, but will def keep an eye on this youngster.

 

[skyhawk]

Its not the 1st time Red Bull have had a fuel issue and disqualified. In Nov 2012 Vettel was excluded from qualifying because of a fuel issue. He started from the pitlane and finished 3rd.Alonso 2nd. Kimi won after uttering the now famous words 'Just leave me alone i know what i am doing'

 

[Polish]

Its good that.

Makes me happy when the FIA punishes the big teams just the same as everyone else, restores faith that they drive equality.

I think BAR made the biggest blunder with fuel in 2005 when the FIA found out they had two hidden tanks……..LOL.

Having said, I am 100% certain ALL teams take chances and try get away with it and that we only hear of the few that get caught.

 

[Polish]

FIA opens fuel floodgates

After a fascinating opener to the 2014 season, the Final Stint looks back at the weekend's biggest talking points as the new sounds and regulations of Formula One came into sharp focus.

One clear winner

Even though the official classification of the Australian Grand Prix is set to be decided by lawyers, there is one position that will remain unchanged. As soon as the cars filtered through the first corner, Nico Rosberg's victory looked nailed on, and as the only driver to finish ahead of Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull his result is set in stone. For anybody who followed pre-season testing, it will not have been a surprise to see the Mercedes out in front, but the extent of the dominance is a little worrying so early in the season. Lewis Hamilton's retirement was proof that no team is immune to reliability issues, but his was the only Mercedes-powered car not to finish for reliability reasons. There's little doubt Mercedes' rivals will close the gap over the course of the season, but it's also fair to say that we have not seen the Mercedes anywhere the limit. Such was Rosberg's lead that the team would not have risked pushing the limits and a 24 second victory with the wick turned down is rather ominous for the rest of the season.

A controversy of F1's making

It was inevitable with such a wide-ranging change in the regulations that someone would breach Formula One's new rulebook this year. The fact it was at the first race and the local hero was penalised may seem unfortunate, but this was a problem that has been rumbling on for some time. The inaccurate fuel-flow sensor at the heart of the issue was a known problem in the paddock right from the first test when a number of teams raised concerns. On Friday morning in Australia, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo warned of grey areas in the new regulations that had to be policed vigilantly by the FIA, which was a reference to the possibility of a situation like Ricciardo's. But while Ferrari called on the FIA to police the situation, Red Bull took matters into its own hands, ignoring the FIA sensor and monitoring the fuel flow itself. "We faced a situation where we would have been reducing significant amounts of power into the engine when we believed we fully complied with the regulations," Christian Horner explained. But rules are rules, and even though the sensors are clearly not up to scratch, it is still up to the governing body to police the sport. In essence, Red Bull has gambled on a successful appeal, running the car with the fuel flow it believed was correct to bank the highest position possible and then defending its actions after. Whether that gamble pays off remains to be seen.

One commenter asked whether the new engines are "powered by farts"

The sound of change

It was clear from our feedback during live sessions that the sound of the new engines does not transmit well on the TV. Comparisons with lawnmowers were common, while one commenter asked whether the new engines are "powered by farts". Formula One's volume has been turned down dramatically over the winter - a point pushed home at the track by the V8 Red Bull demonstration car performing runs between sessions. But until you've heard the engines from trackside it's worth reserving judgement.

Gone is the scream of the past decade or two, but in its place are several more interesting sounds, including whizzes, groans and pops. Each engine sounds noticeably different, with the Mercedes offering a guttural roar and the Ferrari singing some more tuneful high notes. But even if the aural appeal has been muted, the cars are much more fun to watch, with the torque of the engine often overwhelming the grip of the rear tyres. For TV audiences, that should eventually make up for the loss of noise.

The power of power

The power advantage of the Mercedes engine was clear to see at the opening race of the season. Fernando Alonso's battle with Nico Hulkenberg showed up the Ferrari's lack of grunt in comparison to the Mercedes powering the Force India. Meanwhile, Renault is still refining the software mapping of its power units to give better drivability out of corners, which was part of the problem for Sebastian Vettel in qualifying. Red Bull boss Horner estimated his cars were down a second a lap on engine performance compared to the Mercedes, which is a significant deficit over a race distance. Getting more from the engines using software updates will become one of the biggest performance differentiators this season.


The Williams is quick

Williams may have scored more points in one race at the Australian Grand Prix than it did all season last year, but the result was still a bit of a disappointment. Valtteri Bottas' surge through the field validated the pre-season hype surrounding the FW36, and had he not cracked the rim of his wheel by hitting the wall on the exit of Turn 9 after 10 laps, a podium would have been possible. But that's not to say the Williams is without its issues. Bottas had a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox issue on Saturday morning and both drivers struggled with the car in the wet, resulting in lower-than-expected grid positions. The team is confident it can address the wet-weather handling issues over the next few races (although it's unlikely to do so in time for Malaysia) and is genuinely pleased with the race pace it showed in Australia. It may not be the fastest car over one lap, but at the right track and in the right circumstances it is still a serious contender.

Read more at http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/149879.html#36K1CPs7fMMEyXqO.99

Very interesting read.

 

[JerryMungo]

Loving the fact that the Williams is quick again.

 

[thestaggy]

Loving the fact that the Williams is quick again.

Likewise.

Massa said in an interview that had he not been punted out and Bottas kept his nose clean they would have given the McLarens a go for their podium spots. I'd agree with that. Bottas passed about 20 cars.

 

[Polish]

Major uproar about the bad sounding cars.

Bernie Ecclestone has said Formula One will investigate ways of making the new machines sound "more like racing cars" as a matter of urgency.

Ecclestone has been against some of the swathe of rule changes, which have helped to make the car engines considerably quieter, and he found allies after the opening weekend of the season. In the aftermath of the Australian Grand Prix, organisers made clear their view that quieter cars equates to a less sexy sport.

Source http://en.espnf1.com

The organiser of the Australian Grand Prix says the lack of noise from the V6 engines means his investment is not worth the money he paid to host the event.

Ron Walker has been one of the most vocal critics of the sounds of the new engines, saying back in 2011 he feared they "would be like a tin can rattling", and the opening race of the new season has only hardened his opinion.

Source http://en.espnf1.com

I fully agree with this, we need the screeching sound that identifies and distinguishes F1 with other formulae.

 

[Polish]

Likewise.

Massa said in an interview that had he not been punted out and Bottas kept his nose clean they would have given the McLarens a go for their podium spots. I'd agree with that. Bottas passed about 20 cars.

Yes I believe they would. If its sustainable performance we will see over the next few races.

 

[thestaggy]

Yes I believe they would. If its sustainable performance we will see over the next few races.

That is the question. Once Red Bull get both cars singing and Ferrari pull finger it will be another story. Budget-wise I think they will be able to maintain any advantage they have now over Force India, Toro Rosso & Sauber.

 

[thestaggy]

Major uproar about the bad sounding cars.



Source http://en.espnf1.com



Source http://en.espnf1.com

I fully agree with this, we need the screeching sound that identifies and distinguishes F1 with other formulae.

Personally, I do not like the new sound, but from a relevance point of view F1 has never been more relevant to the motor industry than it is now thanks to these new engines and associated energy recovery systems.

 

[Ancalagon]

I think people must stop bitching about the sound. Its not that bad.

 

[])ragon_\/oid]

I think people must stop bitching about the sound. Its not that bad.

I actually think a fart sounds better than these new F1 cars...

 

[Polish]

I think people must stop bitching about the sound. Its not that bad.

It is.

 

[Polish]

I actually think a fart sounds better than these new F1 cars...

a constipated one

 

[Polish]

Red Bull out in the cold as rivals back FIA

Red Bull, which has until Thursday midday to lodge an appeal against Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification in Melbourne, appears isolated in its protests against the FIA's fuel-sensoring equipment.

At the core of Red Bull's protests are claims the equipment is unreliable. However, its position has been weakened by support given to the FIA by rivals Mercedes and Ferrari.

Under FIA rules, teams cannot replace approved FIA equipment with their own, which is what Red Bull did. So while 21 cars, including Ricciardo's team-mate Sebastain Vettel, worked with the FIA system, Red Bull chose to use their own monitoring on Ricciardo.

Read more at http://en.espnf1.com

 

[Polish]

Ferrari: We have our work cut out to catch Mercedes

Ferrari say that increasing the efficiency of their F14 T car is paramount if they are to close the performance gap to pre-season favourites and Australian Grand Prix winners Mercedes.

Both Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen scored points in Melbourne, taking the flag in fourth and seventh places respectively, but with Alonso finishing over half a minute down on victor Nico Rosberg, the Italian team know they have much to do.

Ferrari have been plagued by poor starts to the championship in recent years, but Allison believes that the wide-ranging rule changes for 2014 mean that there should be the chance for them to make dramatic in-season gains.

www.formula1.com

 

[JerryMungo]

On the sound and making them louder - why? I hear that you want them to sound more exciting, but to generate the sound artificially? What's the point of that? Why not just put MP3 players, amps and speakers on the things? If that's the sound the car makes, then that's the sound it makes. Everything in F1 is becoming artificial.