Formula One: 2015 Season News and Discussion Thread
#41
AZ Community Team
Thread Starter
This quote from Forghieri
is what I'm referring to as if that was the case. Alonso should have spoke up and voiced his concern as to improvements. Getting the mechanical grip/feel is mainly up to the drivers, testing, feedback and development.
Engine is mostly the engineers but when Prost was not happy with the peaky Honda engines, he bitched and moaned to the Honda engineers until they finally relented and remapped the ECU's to smooth out the power band.
It's a team effort which includes the driver to optimize the car which includes driver feedback. So if Ferrari built a substandard car then Alonso should have complained over the winter break not during the season.
Ferrari from the late 90's to the mid 00's had the optimal team in terms of efficiently and effectively producing results. Unfortunately, once the members of the organization split apart the results went away to some extent as well.
IMO the main reason Alonso won was besides being naturally gifted he made the most of a lesser Renault chassis (Pat Symonds recently said that) with better tires (Michelin was superior by then), a realible engine and he worked very well with Bob Bell and Symonds.
The reason everyone except for Bryne is getting fired is lack of results, gotta starts somewhere. I think it took more than the 2014 season for Bryne to come up with a good chassis. The results for 2015 look good so far with Vettel and Kimi testing. Bryne by his own admission is more a mechanical chassis designer who works closely with his aero team. Newey is more aero, but he is also very mechanical just not as much as Bryne.
2015 should be a better season in terms of competition.
Each year, when he shook the car down, he said everything was perfect, then after a few months he began complaining. A real champion is the one who is able to manage the team.
Engine is mostly the engineers but when Prost was not happy with the peaky Honda engines, he bitched and moaned to the Honda engineers until they finally relented and remapped the ECU's to smooth out the power band.
It's a team effort which includes the driver to optimize the car which includes driver feedback. So if Ferrari built a substandard car then Alonso should have complained over the winter break not during the season.
Ferrari from the late 90's to the mid 00's had the optimal team in terms of efficiently and effectively producing results. Unfortunately, once the members of the organization split apart the results went away to some extent as well.
IMO the main reason Alonso won was besides being naturally gifted he made the most of a lesser Renault chassis (Pat Symonds recently said that) with better tires (Michelin was superior by then), a realible engine and he worked very well with Bob Bell and Symonds.
The reason everyone except for Bryne is getting fired is lack of results, gotta starts somewhere. I think it took more than the 2014 season for Bryne to come up with a good chassis. The results for 2015 look good so far with Vettel and Kimi testing. Bryne by his own admission is more a mechanical chassis designer who works closely with his aero team. Newey is more aero, but he is also very mechanical just not as much as Bryne.
2015 should be a better season in terms of competition.
If they don't give him the car he is asking for, what can he do about it? He cant roll up his sleeves and get extra power out of the engine or more downforce in the wind tunnel himself. Look at all the decisions from last year I already mentioned in my first post,...heavier engine down on power,...sacrificed for aero benefit (and Red Bull still did a better aero job),....pull rod suspension issues but sticking with it,...who knows what else. Where is the evidence Alonso isn't good at developing the car, other than this one guy saying so (and it looks pretty obvious he's deflecting criticism away from Ferrari).
Also, are you forgetting that Alonso won two championships against Shumi/Ferrari/Bridgestone?
2012 Alonso lost the WDC to Vettel by three points. I wouldnt classify that as a bad season. He would have won if not for Grogean at Spa and some team errors during the season.
Why'd Ferrari fire so many people involved with design & engineering if Alonso is to shoulder a good chunk of the blame? Is the team's poor performace this year somewhat related to Domenicali's departure last year? When Shumi was winning everything, who was there,...Todt/Brawn/Bryne. Button,...Brawn. Lewis,...Dennis/Witmarsh/Paddy Lowe et al for his first WDC. Lewis's second WDC, at a team essentially set up by Brawn before his departure, which includes Paddy Lowe. Red Bull = Newey, and they suffered this year because their engine was shitty (totally out of the drivers control). Common theme being strong, smart leadership in key positions to develop a good pkg. Hand a driver a crappy car at the start of the year, he can only do so much. Yes, development takes place during the year, but a driver can only do so much. It's mostly down to the engineers giving them the tools, and the drivers setting it all up optimally.
Also, are you forgetting that Alonso won two championships against Shumi/Ferrari/Bridgestone?
2012 Alonso lost the WDC to Vettel by three points. I wouldnt classify that as a bad season. He would have won if not for Grogean at Spa and some team errors during the season.
Why'd Ferrari fire so many people involved with design & engineering if Alonso is to shoulder a good chunk of the blame? Is the team's poor performace this year somewhat related to Domenicali's departure last year? When Shumi was winning everything, who was there,...Todt/Brawn/Bryne. Button,...Brawn. Lewis,...Dennis/Witmarsh/Paddy Lowe et al for his first WDC. Lewis's second WDC, at a team essentially set up by Brawn before his departure, which includes Paddy Lowe. Red Bull = Newey, and they suffered this year because their engine was shitty (totally out of the drivers control). Common theme being strong, smart leadership in key positions to develop a good pkg. Hand a driver a crappy car at the start of the year, he can only do so much. Yes, development takes place during the year, but a driver can only do so much. It's mostly down to the engineers giving them the tools, and the drivers setting it all up optimally.
#42
Senior Moderator
I am not buying what Forghieri is selling. It's complete hearsay nonsense with no examples/explanation in an attempt to make Ferrari not look so bad for a very poor season.
Look at Kimi's comments in this article. They are telling about what he and Alonso were handed last year to start working on vs what he and Vettel are getting this year to start developing.
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/24...gs-with-sf15-t
I respect your opinion, just don't agree with it.
This quote from Forghieri
is what I'm referring to as if that was the case. Alonso should have spoke up and voiced his concern as to improvements. Getting the mechanical grip/feel is mainly up to the drivers, testing, feedback and development.
And how do we know he didn't do that? One old guy that left Ferrari in 1987? Again, all we ever hear about is how good Alonso is at getting the most out of car etc. This is incongruous.
Engine is mostly the engineers but when Prost was not happy with the peaky Honda engines, he bitched and moaned to the Honda engineers until they finally relented and remapped the ECU's to smooth out the power band.
Alonso is not the only one developing the car. Massa,...Kimi,....both bad at developing a car as well? Alonso has bitched about performance during his time at Ferrari. Somewhat quietly in public, because Ferrari criticism isnt allowed. There's absolutley no way to quantify your Prost example. You make it sound like Honda had to be convinced to improve the engine. That's ridiculous. Where are the examples provided by this one person where Alonso didn't do things like this? Plus how can we explain the various articles about the best F1 drivers of all time etc that always seem to have Alonso in the top 10? Or the stats analysis stuff I've read that put him as one of the best statistically ever?
It's a team effort which includes the driver to optimize the car which includes driver feedback. So if Ferrari built a substandard car then Alonso should have complained over the winter break not during the season.
And all we hear about is how Alonso is so great at getting the absolute best out of a car. Again, incongruous. How can a team know how well their car is vs other teams in the winter? They might have a rough idea, but don't really know until round 1 rolls around. A car can feel great, but if it's down on power or aero vs something like a Red Bull, how will they know until the season starts? A car can be balanced and drive great, but be slower vs the competition. Especially with such reduced winter testing now. Four of the five years Alonso was at Ferrari they were up against the dominant Red Bulls. Maybe you could argue Vettel is better at car development based on that, but then how can you reconcile this year (car performance and his performance to teammate)? And how do we explain 2012? Was the car magically competitive, since Alonso is poor at car development and the other guy in a Ferrari seat has nothing to do with anything? He nearly won that season. He also nearly won, as did Lewis, with McLaren the year Kimi won. Lewis won one WDC during his 6 years with Mclaren. Maybe he's poor at developing a car too. He's only tied with Alonso now with 2 WDC, right?
Ferrari from the late 90's to the mid 00's had the optimal team in terms of efficiently and effectively producing results. Unfortunately, once the members of the organization split apart the results went away to some extent as well.
Red Bull example above,...they were that team 4 of the last 5 years. Perhaps the Red Bull TEAM is a better group than Ferrari? Plus Vettel's performance the next years at Ferrari wont be comparable to Alonso since they fired so many people, and the dominant car changes, as we saw this year.
IMO the main reason Alonso won was besides being naturally gifted he made the most of a lesser Renault chassis (Pat Symonds recently said that) with better tires (Michelin was superior by then), a realible engine and he worked very well with Bob Bell and Symonds.
The reason everyone except for Bryne is getting fired is lack of results, gotta starts somewhere. I think it took more than the 2014 season for Bryne to come up with a good chassis. The results for 2015 look good so far with Vettel and Kimi testing. Bryne by his own admission is more a mechanical chassis designer who works closely with his aero team. Newey is more aero, but he is also very mechanical just not as much as Bryne.
2015 should be a better season in terms of competition.
is what I'm referring to as if that was the case. Alonso should have spoke up and voiced his concern as to improvements. Getting the mechanical grip/feel is mainly up to the drivers, testing, feedback and development.
And how do we know he didn't do that? One old guy that left Ferrari in 1987? Again, all we ever hear about is how good Alonso is at getting the most out of car etc. This is incongruous.
Engine is mostly the engineers but when Prost was not happy with the peaky Honda engines, he bitched and moaned to the Honda engineers until they finally relented and remapped the ECU's to smooth out the power band.
Alonso is not the only one developing the car. Massa,...Kimi,....both bad at developing a car as well? Alonso has bitched about performance during his time at Ferrari. Somewhat quietly in public, because Ferrari criticism isnt allowed. There's absolutley no way to quantify your Prost example. You make it sound like Honda had to be convinced to improve the engine. That's ridiculous. Where are the examples provided by this one person where Alonso didn't do things like this? Plus how can we explain the various articles about the best F1 drivers of all time etc that always seem to have Alonso in the top 10? Or the stats analysis stuff I've read that put him as one of the best statistically ever?
It's a team effort which includes the driver to optimize the car which includes driver feedback. So if Ferrari built a substandard car then Alonso should have complained over the winter break not during the season.
And all we hear about is how Alonso is so great at getting the absolute best out of a car. Again, incongruous. How can a team know how well their car is vs other teams in the winter? They might have a rough idea, but don't really know until round 1 rolls around. A car can feel great, but if it's down on power or aero vs something like a Red Bull, how will they know until the season starts? A car can be balanced and drive great, but be slower vs the competition. Especially with such reduced winter testing now. Four of the five years Alonso was at Ferrari they were up against the dominant Red Bulls. Maybe you could argue Vettel is better at car development based on that, but then how can you reconcile this year (car performance and his performance to teammate)? And how do we explain 2012? Was the car magically competitive, since Alonso is poor at car development and the other guy in a Ferrari seat has nothing to do with anything? He nearly won that season. He also nearly won, as did Lewis, with McLaren the year Kimi won. Lewis won one WDC during his 6 years with Mclaren. Maybe he's poor at developing a car too. He's only tied with Alonso now with 2 WDC, right?
Ferrari from the late 90's to the mid 00's had the optimal team in terms of efficiently and effectively producing results. Unfortunately, once the members of the organization split apart the results went away to some extent as well.
Red Bull example above,...they were that team 4 of the last 5 years. Perhaps the Red Bull TEAM is a better group than Ferrari? Plus Vettel's performance the next years at Ferrari wont be comparable to Alonso since they fired so many people, and the dominant car changes, as we saw this year.
IMO the main reason Alonso won was besides being naturally gifted he made the most of a lesser Renault chassis (Pat Symonds recently said that) with better tires (Michelin was superior by then), a realible engine and he worked very well with Bob Bell and Symonds.
The reason everyone except for Bryne is getting fired is lack of results, gotta starts somewhere. I think it took more than the 2014 season for Bryne to come up with a good chassis. The results for 2015 look good so far with Vettel and Kimi testing. Bryne by his own admission is more a mechanical chassis designer who works closely with his aero team. Newey is more aero, but he is also very mechanical just not as much as Bryne.
2015 should be a better season in terms of competition.
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/24...gs-with-sf15-t
I respect your opinion, just don't agree with it.
Last edited by West6MT; 02-05-2015 at 09:58 PM.
#43
AZ Community Team
Thread Starter
#45
Senior Moderator
Has anyone been paying attention to the goings on of Marussia and Caterham?
Marussia (Manor) officially done for the season
Marussia future under threat as rival teams turn down 2014 car use request | Marussia F1 Team News | Formula 1 Teams | Sky Sports
Caterham done too
Caterham's administrators to sell off team's assets from March 11 | Sky Sports
Not that any of this is really a surprise.
Marussia (Manor) officially done for the season
Marussia future under threat as rival teams turn down 2014 car use request | Marussia F1 Team News | Formula 1 Teams | Sky Sports
Caterham done too
Caterham's administrators to sell off team's assets from March 11 | Sky Sports
Not that any of this is really a surprise.
#46
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Does anyone think this is going to be a terrible season with this small of a grid with both those teams done? I mean I didn't think the first two of the last 3 races without them both was that great either. I know they are back markers for the most part but still takes something away in my opinion.
#47
Senior Moderator
I hate small fields. Slim hope fore Marussia to make a come back. Of course there will be Haas next year. Maybe.
#48
2G TLX-S
So much for rewriting F1 rules to encourage more small budget teams to participate in Formula One !
#50
Senior Moderator
I dislike small fields as well. I think all of this just makes the teams on the strategy group, Bernie, etc look bad. Sadly, none of them care. Just like they don't care about small teams having even a remote chance of being competitve or being able to survive.
What I find really annoying though is how team bosses like Horner et al dance around questions about that sort of stuff (changes to rules, better distrubution of the pot, equal playing field, etc). Just spew out complete BS when asked about those issues.
What I find really annoying though is how team bosses like Horner et al dance around questions about that sort of stuff (changes to rules, better distrubution of the pot, equal playing field, etc). Just spew out complete BS when asked about those issues.
#51
AZ Community Team
Thread Starter
Yeah that should be a interesting matchup since both driver's struggled last year against their respective teammates.
Gotta feeling Vettel will work out well with Bryne since he's a technocrat driver, and Vettel and Kimi like similar car handling
#52
Senior Moderator
Pretty interesting article by Mika Häkkinen about testing when he raced vs now. He is going to be blogging throughout the year for McLaren, which is pretty awesome.
McLaren Formula 1 - Mika on the testing revolution
"Sometimes, believe it or not, the McLaren-Mercedes team would be testing in two separate locations simultaneously"
Talking about testing at Silverstone - "As for the restaurants in the local area, maybe they are not the very best I have eaten at in my life, but I grew to love fish ’n’ chips!"
Minardi commenting on the blocking of Marussia
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ma...like-minardi/?
Ferrari & McLaren testing analysis
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/22...fter-2014-woes
McLaren Formula 1 - Mika on the testing revolution
"Sometimes, believe it or not, the McLaren-Mercedes team would be testing in two separate locations simultaneously"
Talking about testing at Silverstone - "As for the restaurants in the local area, maybe they are not the very best I have eaten at in my life, but I grew to love fish ’n’ chips!"
Minardi commenting on the blocking of Marussia
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ma...like-minardi/?
Ferrari & McLaren testing analysis
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/22...fter-2014-woes
Last edited by West6MT; 02-10-2015 at 10:04 PM.
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#53
Senior Moderator
Minardi commenting on the blocking of Marussia
Marussia block "unsportsmanlike" - Minardi | News | Motorsport.com
Marussia block "unsportsmanlike" - Minardi | News | Motorsport.com
#54
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Too-large fields suck too: the first F1 race I went to in Montreal, '89, pre-qualifying had to be run to narrow the overly large field down before Q1 began. The result back then was 6 cars that were nothing more than high speed chicanes.
#55
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But what is too large. Last year was 11 teams and this year is 9 most likely. I think 11 was good and 12 would be great but I don't think there is a chance we see that any time soon at all.
I have only started getting into the sport in the past few years and wish I had sooner but anything less than 20 on the grid to start the season seems like it would be terrible for the sport.
What is the most amount of teams that have ever been in it at once?
I have only started getting into the sport in the past few years and wish I had sooner but anything less than 20 on the grid to start the season seems like it would be terrible for the sport.
What is the most amount of teams that have ever been in it at once?
#56
Senior Moderator
I think 26 cars is the magic number. People might complain about moving chicanes, but they add to the drama. If you don't like moving chicanes, watch rallying.
#57
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I wouldn't mind larger fields ONLY if there were teams that could actually win a race or two making up the field; not teams that have no FN chance in the world of winning unless 25 cars crashed out first (or only 6 ran the race as in Indy, 2004?)
#58
Senior Moderator
I don't agree with that. Sauber and Force India have never won a race, yet they definitely deserve to be in F1. You have to start somewhere, even if it's in the back of the field.
#59
AZ Community Team
Thread Starter
She Aims to Be Strong and Lean for Driving Formula One Cars
#60
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#61
AZ Community Team
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^^ Mr. Wolff is a lucky man indeed
#62
AZ Community Team
Thread Starter
Report: F1 to ban in-season helmet changes
Report: F1 to ban in-season helmet changes | MotorSportsTalk
WTF?
There goes all the special promo themes
WTF?
There goes all the special promo themes
#63
Moderator
^ I see both sides here, in the end, who cares what their helmets look like?
If they want to keep 1 design (liked the Senna reference) fine. If you want to design a new helmet for every race, why should it matter?
If they want to keep 1 design (liked the Senna reference) fine. If you want to design a new helmet for every race, why should it matter?
#64
Senior Moderator
I support this. Changing helmets every race like Vettel does is too confusing.
#65
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Report: F1 to ban in-season helmet changes | MotorSportsTalk
WTF?
There goes all the special promo themes
WTF?
There goes all the special promo themes
#66
Three Wheelin'
^^Agreed. If they want to auction off helmets for charity, the same, permanent color scheme with a date/race location painted tastefully on the back will suffice to make the helmet unique while still allowing the permanent color scheme to make it easier for fans to discern which driver is which within the teams.
The changing color schemes reeks of a "look at me, look at me" selfish attitude among SOME of the drivers.
The changing color schemes reeks of a "look at me, look at me" selfish attitude among SOME of the drivers.
#67
AZ Community Team
Thread Starter
Same here, there have been times where the theme is for seriousness (Button's dad passing away with the pink design rememberance) and sometimes goofing off (Kimi using James Hunt's design during Monaco one year). Every race changing? No but they should change maybe 2-3 times a year if they want. FIA is acting more like the IOC, with their bizarre rule changes for sake of nothing.
#68
Senior Moderator
It would be good if they could do one or two one-off helmets during the season for special races or milestones etc. Or at least allow changes for special circumstances, like Button's change to the pink helmet.
#69
Pro
I find myself agreeing with this opinion:
Formula One Takes Important Action Against Mid-Season Helmet Changes
In other words...I think the decision is petty.
Formula One Takes Important Action Against Mid-Season Helmet Changes
In other words...I think the decision is petty.
#70
Senior Moderator
I don't think this is petty at all. The helmet is the number one way for me to tell the drivers apart. If the drivers want special helmets, they can wear them during Friday practice.
From a marketing standpoint, the drivers are shooting themselves by constantly changing helmets. It dilutes their own marketability.
From a marketing standpoint, the drivers are shooting themselves by constantly changing helmets. It dilutes their own marketability.
#71
Pro
I don't think this is petty at all. The helmet is the number one way for me to tell the drivers apart. If the drivers want special helmets, they can wear them during Friday practice.
From a marketing standpoint, the drivers are shooting themselves by constantly changing helmets. It dilutes their own marketability.
From a marketing standpoint, the drivers are shooting themselves by constantly changing helmets. It dilutes their own marketability.
The helmet is also my #1 way...and it's never been an issue. I never have a problem identifying/remembering who's who between, you know, a whole two teammates. As long as the drivers have contrasting colors, I'm good with that.
#72
AZ Community Team
Thread Starter
I don't think this is petty at all. The helmet is the number one way for me to tell the drivers apart. If the drivers want special helmets, they can wear them during Friday practice.
From a marketing standpoint, the drivers are shooting themselves by constantly changing helmets. It dilutes their own marketability.
From a marketing standpoint, the drivers are shooting themselves by constantly changing helmets. It dilutes their own marketability.
#73
Moderator
I don't think this is petty at all. The helmet is the number one way for me to tell the drivers apart. If the drivers want special helmets, they can wear them during Friday practice.
From a marketing standpoint, the drivers are shooting themselves by constantly changing helmets. It dilutes their own marketability.
From a marketing standpoint, the drivers are shooting themselves by constantly changing helmets. It dilutes their own marketability.
#74
2G TLX-S
What is all this in F1 ?
There are a lot more important tasks at hand, such as how to prevent the F1 teams from further shrinking, than to make up regulations to ban color and graphic changes on driver helmets.
There are a lot more important tasks at hand, such as how to prevent the F1 teams from further shrinking, than to make up regulations to ban color and graphic changes on driver helmets.
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#75
Senior Moderator
Low hanging fruit.
Last year, it was the ridiculous notion of giving drivers permanent numbers.
This year, it's to take away the driver's freedom of speech.
Hey, who thinks Force India is the new Caterham?
Last year, it was the ridiculous notion of giving drivers permanent numbers.
This year, it's to take away the driver's freedom of speech.
Hey, who thinks Force India is the new Caterham?
#76
Moderator
The Honda engine doesn't seem to be doing so well in testing right now.
#77
AZ Community Team
Thread Starter
^ Motor/Generator (MGU-K) has reliability issues
F1 News - Barcelona F1 Test (1): McLaren mileage limited by recurring MGU-K issue
F1 News - Barcelona F1 Test (1): McLaren mileage limited by recurring MGU-K issue
#78
Pro
Dang, the problems are really screwing with Button's seat time in this test.
I wasn't expecting McLaren-Honda to burn the rest of the field, but I was hoping that they'd have the reliability issues sorted out. Are the teams not allowed to test outside of the Jerez and Barcelona tests? And I don't even mean testing the engines in actual F1 chassis...Wasn't Ferrari spotted testing its 2014 engine using a LaFerrari mule prior to last season?
I wasn't expecting McLaren-Honda to burn the rest of the field, but I was hoping that they'd have the reliability issues sorted out. Are the teams not allowed to test outside of the Jerez and Barcelona tests? And I don't even mean testing the engines in actual F1 chassis...Wasn't Ferrari spotted testing its 2014 engine using a LaFerrari mule prior to last season?
#79
Senior Moderator
Alonso still in the hospital. Wild rumor that he was knocked out prior to the crash with the electrical equipment.
#80
Three Wheelin'
The Alonso rumors have been quashed by McLaren who say the telemetry data doesn't support anything but a mistake by Alonso in part caused by the heavy, gusty winds. Alonso was applying maximum braking force AND downshifting AFTER losing control which completely diffuses any "he passed out before the accident" nonsense rumors (not judging F-C, just the rumors). The medical treatment Alonso received was standard procedure for any injury involving a bump to the head/suspicion of concussion.
Add my name to the list of those who are disappointed with the McLaren/Honda so far but I am still very optimistic that they've built a race winner or at very least a very competitive car once the reliability issues are worked out. We could possibly see McLaren/Honda treat the Australian Grand Prix as three more days of testing as they START to introduce their true race package and not the launch configuration they are working out the bugs with. I'm hoping Prodomou has some secret something special to show us in Melbourne and Honda unleashes a monster power unit.
Add my name to the list of those who are disappointed with the McLaren/Honda so far but I am still very optimistic that they've built a race winner or at very least a very competitive car once the reliability issues are worked out. We could possibly see McLaren/Honda treat the Australian Grand Prix as three more days of testing as they START to introduce their true race package and not the launch configuration they are working out the bugs with. I'm hoping Prodomou has some secret something special to show us in Melbourne and Honda unleashes a monster power unit.