mappingtheyears Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Anyone here a fan of F1? Testing is underway and the start of the 2015 season is less than a month away. This should be an interesting season to say the least! I'm hoping to see Mclaren-Honda have a good year, but we'll see where they end up. The MP4/30 looks and sounds great. Looks like Ferrari also has a great car, and I'm excited to see what happens between Vettel and Raikkonen. As always, Mercedes seems to be on top of their game, maybe we'll see Hamilton back for another championship. Just throwing this thread out there for race discussions and general chat about F1! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabretic Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 If I had cable, I would totally watch more f1 as I am a fan of racing in general, not just NASCAR. I really wish I could watch some V8 supercars. Hope this thread takes off for ya man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
̮ ɤ ̮ Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I was hoping for a good first season for McLaren-Honda, but the tests didn't go very well so far. Alonso and Button are great drivers, but if they have technical failures, there's nothing they can do unfortunately. I'm also curious about the performance of Force India. They haven't tested their new car yet, which is definietely a handicap for the team. Do any of you have a driver they support? Mine is Bottas; he did a great job last year and I'm sure, he can win his first race this year. Other than that I hope that Räikkönen will do better than last year. That was devastating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breezus Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I'm pissed that Alonso was replaced by Vettel. I fucking hate Vettel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappingtheyears Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 If I had cable, I would totally watch more f1 as I am a fan of racing in general, not just NASCAR. I really wish I could watch some V8 supercars. Hope this thread takes off for ya man. Hopefully you can catch some of the races one way or another. F1 seems to be growing in popularity here in the states. I don't expect this thread to take off too much, but I figured a few people on VC were fans of F1! I was hoping for a good first season for McLaren-Honda, but the tests didn't go very well so far. Alonso and Button are great drivers, but if they have technical failures, there's nothing they can do unfortunately. I'm also curious about the performance of Force India. They haven't tested their new car yet, which is definietely a handicap for the team. Do any of you have a driver they support? Mine is Bottas; he did a great job last year and I'm sure, he can win his first race this year. Other than that I hope that Räikkönen will do better than last year. That was devastating. I have a feeling it might be a while before McLaren-Honda have a solid season. With how competitive F1 is, it's next to impossible to have such a major change with the car and have it work perfectly the first time around. Force India seems to be in a rough spot right now. I did, however, just read that they're planning on running the VJM08 in Barcelona this weekend, so hopefully they're at least somewhat prepared for the season to start. Definite handicap though. Also Manor is supposedly set to race in Australia? We'll see how that works out. It would be really cool to see Bottas win a few races. I kind of like to pull for all of the underdogs, but yeah I hope Raikkonen has a better season with Ferrari. I've always been a fan of him. I'm pissed that Alonso was replaced by Vettel. I fucking hate Vettel. Apparently Alonso wanted to leave Ferrari because the car was underperforming, but who knows. I don't mind Vettel too much, I think he's a great driver. In the right car, he's damn near unstoppable as was the case in 2013. That goes for pretty much everyone else though as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgry Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I love all kinds of racing and watch F1 whenever I get a chance. Although it's usually on Sunday at 7am for me in Chicago. I can't say I fully understand all the ins and outs of it. Seems to be a lot about technology and strategy. I usually don't tune in right at the start and by the time I do watch it, the leader is like 20 seconds ahead of 2nd place. Which boggles my NASCAR mind how that happens. I also like the fact that they use different tire compounds throughout the race. That would be fun for NASCAR to come into the pits with 20 left and put softer tires on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappingtheyears Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 I love all kinds of racing and watch F1 whenever I get a chance. Although it's usually on Sunday at 7am for me in Chicago. I can't say I fully understand all the ins and outs of it. Seems to be a lot about technology and strategy. I usually don't tune in right at the start and by the time I do watch it, the leader is like 20 seconds ahead of 2nd place. Which boggles my NASCAR mind how that happens. I also like the fact that they use different tire compounds throughout the race. That would be fun for NASCAR to come into the pits with 20 left and put softer tires on. My roommate and I usually catch the re-runs later in the day, although I am up early enough to catch some of the races depending on where they are. You're right though, it's all about technology, strategy, and politics. Usually one or two teams dominate each season. If I remember correctly, the Mercedes team won all but three races last year. I haven't really kept up with NASCAR for quite a while, but it would be interesting to see them adopt some of the strategies and regulations used in F1. Doubt that will ever happen though, they're two completely different worlds of racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
̮ ɤ ̮ Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I love all kinds of racing and watch F1 whenever I get a chance. Although it's usually on Sunday at 7am for me in Chicago. I can't say I fully understand all the ins and outs of it. Seems to be a lot about technology and strategy. I usually don't tune in right at the start and by the time I do watch it, the leader is like 20 seconds ahead of 2nd place. Which boggles my NASCAR mind how that happens. I also like the fact that they use different tire compounds throughout the race. That would be fun for NASCAR to come into the pits with 20 left and put softer tires on. Last year was definitely an exception, with the new engine rules Mercedes was way ahead of the Renault or Ferrari driven cars. I'm sure it will be closer this year; Ferrari seems strong this season, although I think a lot of teams haven't shown what they are capable of yet. Before the engines were so important, it was the aerodynamics that made the difference. Red Bull did a great job the last couple of years, that's why Vettel won 4 WC. But even with an inferior car it's possible to fight for WC. Alonso did that and almost got WC 2010 and 2012. I'm pissed that Alonso was replaced by Vettel. I fucking hate Vettel. I can't stand him either. Without a doubt he's a good driver, but I don't think he won his 4 titles because of his talent. If Alonso or Hamilton had such a good car, the would've won them too. And the praise he got from the German media (RTL!) was ridiculous. But it wasn't any different with Michael Schumacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappingtheyears Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Apparently Alonso will not be racing in the Australian Grand Prix. http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/31713292 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
̮ ɤ ̮ Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 As of what I've heard, the crash wasn't even that hard. There were already rumors, that Alonso got an electric shock by the battery, and this doesn't help at all to prove it wrong. Nevertheless I'm glad to see Magnussen again, he's one of the better young talents in the current F1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappingtheyears Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Glad they're taking the proper precautions to avoid any further injuries for Alonso. I did see some photos of people wearing thick gloves while tending to Alonso's crashed car, which leads a lot of people to believe that some sort of shock may have played a factor in his injury. Either way I hope Magnussen races well in Australia, and hopefully Alonso's bad luck ends here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
̮ ɤ ̮ Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Any thoughts on the first practices this season? Mercedes seems to be as dominant as they have been last year, but Ferrari really surprised me. I wonder if they can keep up the speed under race conditions. In the end it's probably just Hamilton vs. Rosberg, but I'm curious what the other teams are capable of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I think the Lotus could be a bit of a dark horse this season and yes the Ferrari did look very good so I'm hoping that interested Kimi turns up, but I'm not really sure where the Red Bull is and the Sauber looked like it was underweight as usual to get sponsors, I'm also hoping that the Williams will show it's potential and we will see flashes of speed from McLaren but ultimately the Mercedes has it nailed certainly at the start of the season and I expect in truth all the way through. We will all find out tomorrow morning. There is an old racing saying that is very apposite at this time of year which is "The bullshit stops when the green flag drops" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappingtheyears Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 I think it's dumb how driver/engineer communication is banned during practice. I can understand it during the race and qualifying, but practice? Isn't the point of practice to set up the car as best they can? A lot of these new rules being implemented seem kind of ridiculous. I'm hoping Mercedes isn't quite as dominant as last season, as I'd like to see some other teams like Ferrari and Williams perform well. Seems like they're still consistent as ever though. Really looking forward to catching the race this weekend. The offseason flew by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
̮ ɤ ̮ Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 I think the Lotus could be a bit of a dark horse this season Me and my friends always guess the top 10 before the season starts and actually I ranked Grosjean pretty high. With the Mercedes engine they will make a good step in the right direction and Grosjean is good engough to get on the podium a couple of times. 01 Hamilton 02 Rosberg 03 Bottas 04 Ricciardo 05 Vettel 06 Grosjean 07 Räikkönen 08 Massa 09 Kvyat 10 Alonso Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breezus Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 It's so weird seeing Vettel in red gear ... and I may hate his guts but it's good to see Ferrari doing much better than last year. Anyway, I think Mercedes will dominate again. Don't see why they wouldn't, they're still going strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
̮ ɤ ̮ Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 What a boring first race. Only 15 cars in the grid, almost no overtakings and Mercedes dominating everything (okay, that didn't come unexpecte). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappingtheyears Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 Yeah, pretty predictable first race. Sucked seeing Raikkonen have troubles. I'm happy that Button at least finished the race, albeit in last place (of those that finished). Wasn't too surprised that Crashtor was out on the first lap hahah. Sauber had a surprisingly decent run, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappingtheyears Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 Merc's dominance is already beyond evident though, the race was a bit boring to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappingtheyears Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Day late, but wow, what an awesome race to watch. Cool to see a Ferrari back on the podium. Merc kind of fucked up their strategy a bit, which was surprising. I don't think Vettel will win the WDC this year, but I think the Ferrari team can definitely put up a bit of a fight (hopefully) against Lewis and Nico. Look at Raikkonen's run. Aside from having some shit luck at the beginning of the race and ending up in last place for a bit, he came back and ended up in fourth. Compared to the Australian Grand Prix, this race had a lot more movement I noticed, especially throughout the midfield. Toro Rosso passed up their parent team, the Marussia somehow finished, and Ferrari played their cards right and took home an overdue win. Solid race in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
̮ ɤ ̮ Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Definitely a better race than Australia. Ferrari's perfomance was great, though I wished it wasn't Kimi again, who got involved in an accident. Malaysia is said to be a better indicator for the rest of the season, so maybe Ferrari seems to be at an advantage now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
̮ ɤ ̮ Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Not really surprising, but it seems that this year's champion will be the same as last year. In other news: Haas will announce their drivers soon. According to some rumours it will be Grosjean and Gutierrez (the latter because of the partnership between Haas and Ferrari). Haas always says that they will surprise the other teams, but I can't really see them fighting with the midfield teams in their debut season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mappingtheyears Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 Definitely not surprised about Lewis, as much as I hate to say it. It was nice to have a few races without any Mercs on the podium, though. I don't anticipate Haas even being so much as a midfield runner either. They're going to run into the same growing pains that McLaren-Honda have run into this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 My feeling is that Haas growing pains will be more like Manor in that they have a known engine but have a big gap in the understanding of what they are taking on without the experience that McLaren and Honda have. That said Budget can buy you a little way up the grid but it isn't everything, just ask Toyota. On the driver front Grosjean is a good choice but I would have chosen Rossi for the 2nd seat which makes me think Gutierrez is just a means to an end for cheaper Ferrari engines. On the subject of Lewis he has no real competition from Nico sadly, he just doesn't seem to have the hunger to push Lewis and Lewis is comfortable in the knowledge that he has him beat, this is all Nico's problem as Lewis is definitely beatable and an open goal when it comes to mind games so Nico is missing a lot of opportunities. Sebastian and to some extent Kimi on the other hand are a different matter, it just needs a bit more of a leveller between the Mercs and Ferrari's and we have a race on between those four. The McLaren/Honda farce this year is just that and I wouldn't be surprised to see both drivers leave out of sheer frustration, what say a Webber, Button, Alonso Porsche at Le Mans next year? Also if Red Bull continue to threaten to take their ball away next year we may end up with hastily convened 3 car teams which will shuffle things about all over the place, I very much doubt Bernie will let it get to that though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgry Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Up late watching the first race. Pretty excited for F1 after watching my guy (#24) retire in NASCAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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