The F1 thread

menamestom

menamestom said:

Anybody going to Silverstone?

Heading there with my lad for the weekend, camping at woodlands.  Going on the Friday - Sunday.

Keen to hear any tips for the weekend, good viewing spots etc.  We don't have a grandstand unfortunately.

To answer my own question....

So, got back about 11pm last night, took a few hours to get out of the campsite and away from the track, then a few hours to Manchester.

A few random thoughts from the weekend:-

 

The atmosphere was good, and it was nice to witness F1 with a big crowd.

The cars look amazing, the speed they go round Stowe is a thing to behold.  They slingshot around the corner, with the aero in full effect.

The cars don’t sound as bad as they do on TV.  They are loud and have some thundering exhaust sounds. 

The Historic F1 cars were on before, and those V8, V10 and V12’s from through the ages do roar and scream in comparison.

The rain is good for the drama, but terrible for viewing.  Umbrellas block everything in general admission.

Silverstone is a particularly poor viewing circuit for general admission.  We got a reasonable view, but the best were gone and we were at the gate before it opened. Many people would have seen nothing but the odd glimpse.

Considering the impressive facilities around Hamilton strait the grandstands seem pretty limited, but perhaps they are limited on height to extend them to be as grand as some other circuits.

The all round show was good, support races, concert, red arrows, lively campsite with entertainment etc.

 

 Was the race boring?  I think you have to be into the detail with F1.  There’s less in race drama than many other race series, but I suppose when the cars are so refined and the stakes so high, the devil is in the detail.  The safety car really livened the crowd up, without that Maclaren’s progress would have provided some interest but the race appeared very processional from Vale.  In contrast, the Porsche Mobil 1 Super-Cup, F3 and F2 had much more going on, passing, spinning off, close racing.  From a pure racing perspective F1 is pretty low down the list in outright action, but as a full package there is entertainment in the detail, how things change so quick with safety cars, tyre management, weather etc, but with MV dominating so much the midfield is where more interest is I suppose, with the winner being so predictable.

 All-in-all a good weekend, but If I go to a race again it won’t be Silverstone, probably Spa or the Red Bull Ring. 

Unless I win the lottery and can arrive by helicopter and hand round the paddock!

fretmeister

Happy Danny Ric in a Redbull Day!

I really hope he's fast. While that might not convince Whinger to swap him for Perez, if he's really quick like he used to be then that will annoy Max.

And that will be just lovely.

stickyfiddle

fretmeister said:

Happy Danny Ric in a Redbull Day!

I really hope he's fast. While that might not convince Whinger to swap him for Perez, if he's really quick like he used to be then that will annoy Max.

And that will be just lovely.

I actually suspect Max would be fine with it - at least it would give him something to do during races. He's far enough in front you could put anyone in the other car and Max will still win the title. 

Assuming 1) DR is quick, 2) Marko is of the same temperament as usual and 3) sensible performance clauses in Checo's contract) DR will be back in the RB car next year. 

stickyfiddle

As for the tyre test they're also going to water the track and try running some cars with "mudflaps" or some such to see how they might be able to help improve visibility in the rain by not having the tyres launch 85 litres of water into the air every second... Much needed so I hope it works. 

Boromedic

Dani Ric did so well to put Seb in the shade but his excursions into other teams were so disappointing in the end. I think he could give Max a better run for his money but Max is defo one of them drivers that just have that extra speed unfortunately so I think Max would win all the same. Would be nice to see though and at least make it more interesting!

stickyfiddle

Rumours on twitter suggest DR will be replacing Devries after the summer. Wouldn't surprise me at all. 

That car currently looks shit but maybe it's actually a midfielder slowed down by Yuki and DeVries... 

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

stickyfiddle said:

fretmeister said:

Happy Danny Ric in a Redbull Day!

I really hope he's fast. While that might not convince Whinger to swap him for Perez, if he's really quick like he used to be then that will annoy Max.

And that will be just lovely.

I actually suspect Max would be fine with it - at least it would give him something to do during races. He's far enough in front you could put anyone in the other car and Max will still win the title. 

Assuming 1) DR is quick, 2) Marko is of the same temperament as usual and 3) sensible performance clauses in Checo's contract) DR will be back in the RB car next year. 

Correction: 3) DR will be back in the RB car before the year is out.

boogieman

Boromedic said:

Dani Ric did so well to put Seb in the shade but his excursions into other teams were so disappointing in the end. I think he could give Max a better run for his money but Max is defo one of them drivers that just have that extra speed unfortunately so I think Max would win all the same. Would be nice to see though and at least make it more interesting!

Danny Ric is awesome on the brakes and is a great overtaker, but seems to lack the sheer I-don’t-care-if-I’m an-arsehole-it-wins-things attitude that Max has. I hope he gets a Red Bull seat again, it would definitely spice things up and I’m getting a bit fed up of nobody really being able to push Max this season. I still can’t figure out why Perez is so poor though, he’s a good driver in the best car, he should be getting podiums at every race.   

stickyfiddle

boogieman said:

Boromedic said:

Dani Ric did so well to put Seb in the shade but his excursions into other teams were so disappointing in the end. I think he could give Max a better run for his money but Max is defo one of them drivers that just have that extra speed unfortunately so I think Max would win all the same. Would be nice to see though and at least make it more interesting!

Danny Ric is awesome on the brakes and is a great overtaker, but seems to lack the sheer I-don’t-care-if-I’m an-arsehole-it-wins-things attitude that Max has. I hope he gets a Red Bull seat again, it would definitely spice things up and I’m getting a bit fed up of nobody really being able to push Max this season. I still can’t figure out why Perez is so poor though, he’s a good driver in the best car, he should be getting podiums at every race.   

Perez is just trying too hard. Webber did it against Vettel, Bottas did it occasionally, Gasly & Albon definitely did it against Max, Colin McRae did it *loads* and crashed a shitload of cars. He's still quick, but in quali when it matters the most he's pushing right to the limit and getting laps deleted, even though his car is plenty fast enough to get to Q3 driving at 90%. But 90% isn't enough to beat Max... 

RiftAmps

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/alphatauri-f1-set-to-replace-de-vries-for-remainder-of-2023/10494730/

stickyfiddle

RiftAmps said:

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/alphatauri-f1-set-to-replace-de-vries-for-remainder-of-2023/10494730/

I’m guessing the phrase “even slower than Yuki” has been uttered more than once…! Poor guy

fretmeister

ha hahahaha!

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fretmeister

stickyfiddle

Wow! So I guess today's test went ok then?! 

I'm guessing he already ran today's program in the sim and did good times, then delivered that performance in real-world as well Good stuff.

Shame for Nyck but it's always a risk when you sign as an RB junior. Now Perez is 100% fucked, right?

fretmeister

The AT is clearly a bad car and IIRC they've only got 2 constructors points.
But if DR can jump in and slaughter Yuki then he might get another promotion - especially as Marko seems to be really trying to get Lando for when his McLaren contract expires.

If DR has some of his old speed and can bring a Red Bull home in second every race then he's a good choice until Lando / whoever starts getting lined up as their next No1 driver.

stickyfiddle

fretmeister said:

The AT is clearly a bad car and IIRC they've only got 2 constructors points.
But if DR can jump in and slaughter Yuki then he might get another promotion - especially as Marko seems to be really trying to get Lando for when his McLaren contract expires.

If DR has some of his old speed and can bring a Red Bull home in second every race then he's a good choice until Lando / whoever starts getting lined up as their next No1 driver.

Agree 100% 

This is about getting DR properly match fit and getting a proper benchmark to judge Tsunoda by - as well as the AT car. 

Boromedic

I'd laugh if Dan outqualifies Perez 

TimmyO

fretmeister said:

The AT is clearly a bad car and IIRC they've only got 2 constructors points.
But if DR can jump in and slaughter Yuki then he might get another promotion - especially as Marko seems to be really trying to get Lando for when his McLaren contract expires.

If DR has some of his old speed and can bring a Red Bull home in second every race then he's a good choice until Lando / whoever starts getting lined up as their next No1 driver.

If he had some of his old speed he'd not have been.sat on the sidelines so far this year 

fretmeister

You may well be right.

My previous thoughts of Lando being a LH/MV level driver driving beyond the ability of the car have been downgraded in light of Piastri's excellent performance this week pretty much matching Lando. So I can't really view that as why DR was so slow at McLaren.

Maybe he just needs a different environment? You know far better than me that at that level 1% of anything makes a massive difference.

I like him. I really hope he's fast and that he surprises some people.

stickyfiddle

fretmeister said:

You may well be right.

My previous thoughts of Lando being a LH/MV level driver driving beyond the ability of the car have been downgraded in light of Piastri's excellent performance this week pretty much matching Lando. So I can't really view that as why DR was so slow at McLaren.

Maybe he just needs a different environment? You know far better than me that at that level 1% of anything makes a massive difference.

I like him. I really hope he's fast and that he surprises some people.

Following Oscar through the junior series suggests he's got serious leader/winner/champion potential. 

My read on DR vs Lando was just a shite car and DR is a Button/Rosberg level guy, while Mando has potential to be there with Lewis & Max. I may be wrong, obv but I'm looking forward to finding out!