Well said! You list all the reasons why we watch :) :tiphat: :driving:

Yes, I use F1TV Pro on my laptop during the race, biggest problem, is does not cast very well. They have made it this year to chromecast, I have tried it, but sometimes it does not start. Over all I am pleased with it. Its a big help for me, since my son (in seattle) and I can watch the race together and talk on discord. I have had some problem with the app on my iPad over the past couple of days, but have not taken the time to see what may be wrong.

Thanks. Good info. That was helpful.

Hmmm, this might explain Tsunoda's amazing times...

Notice something not quite right?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ewc2IErX...jpg&name=small

ESPN-F1 review of testing and Mercedes/RedBull. A nice look at the current post test issues.

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/3...at-formula-one

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/th...times/5739247/

Yuki Tsunoda was able to charge to second place in the final classification thanks to some rapid late runs on Sunday evening in Bahrain, ending testing just 0.093 seconds off Max Verstappen’s fastest time.

It was a performance that turned heads throughout the paddock, not only for how good the AlphaTauri AT02 car is looking, but also for how well Tsunoda is already faring ahead of his F1 debut next weekend.

But was there a secret trick behind Tsunoda’s efforts late in Sunday’s Bahrain running?

Some eagle-eyed TV viewers and users on Reddit's F1 subsection spotted that Tsunoda appeared to be opening DRS far, far earlier than normal during his final qualifying simulations.


The final DRS zone in Bahrain on the main straight started 170m from the exit of Turn 15 last year. In the image from the above tweet, that is in line with the blue Aramco sign, showing just how much earlier Tsunoda had DRS activated.

It was not limited to a single lap, either, with the onboards showing that Tsunoda was regularly activating the DRS flap on the left-hand side of his steering wheel as soon as he got the car straightened up at the exit of the Turn 14/15 final complex.

The data also points to a much earlier DRS usage than typically permitted. Tsunoda comfortably topped the speed trap on the final day of pre-season testing with a top speed of 322 km/h, finishing 3 km/h clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in second place.

PLUS: How Red Bull won F1 2021 winter testing

McLaren’s Lando Norris also made a cheeky comment on Instagram at the end of the day after Tsunoda posted that he had a “very smooth day with both race sims and short runs”. Norris commented: “How’s the DRS” along with the laughing face emoji.

As pre-season testing is not an official F1 race weekend, there are no restrictions on where DRS can be used around laps, not limiting drivers to the three exact zones used in Bahrain last year. It means Tsunoda’s laps remain completely valid, even if there would undoubtedly have been a gain made in his final time.

It also should not downplay just how good AlphaTauri was through pre-season testing. Asked by Autosport about Tsunoda’s impressive display, Norris quipped back: “I like how you say really impressive - he’s a good driver! I don’t think there’s any shock with it.

“The AlphaTauri is looking strong. I think looking at onboards and seeing the data that we can see, they look like they have a very strong car. It looks very nice to drive. Good in all kind of conditions.

The tech gun helping teams to master F1’s 2021 tyres

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/th...tyres/5753787/

Franco Nugnes
Co-author:
Jonathan Noble
Mar 16, 2021, 4:56 AM

Formula 1 teams have been spotted using an innovative Italian 'gun' in testing in what could be the latest move to get on top of the new 2021 tyres.
The tech gun helping teams to master F1’s 2021 tyres

F1 teams well know that mastering knowledge of tyres is key to unlocking performance from their cars in both qualifying and in races. It’s why so much work is done in checking on tyre temperatures and durability over the course of every F1 test and practice session.

But eagle-eyed observers at Bahrain’s F1 pre-season test last weekend spotted a select number of technicians doing something slightly unusual with the tyres - using a mysterious gun on them as they came off the cars.

This gun appeared to hammer into the rubber and, while those using it tried their best to keep their work secret, the answer as to what they were doing can be revealed.

The ‘gun’ is known as the VESevo – derived from the Latin name of the famous volcano – and is produced by Italian start-up company MegaRide.

It stands for ‘Viscoelasticity Evaluation System – EVOlved’ – and is the result of a research project by the Group of Vehicle Dynamics Simulations from the University of Naples Federico II.

What the gun does is help collect information on the tyre tread to understand how it has reacted and behaved while running out on the track.

Using a unique post-processing algorithm, the gun allows its user to fully understand the physical properties of the tyre: offering better analysis of inner temperatures, the stiffness of the compound, the wear of the treat and its damping properties.

These can all be mapped out on graphs (below) and then used as a tool to better understand what impact tyre temperature and track surface is having on the performance and durability of the rubber.



This information can be crucial for offering added insight into the behaviour of a certain tyre compound, which can then help teams better predict how to get the most out of the rubber.

While Pirelli already provides teams with extensive data on the correct working range of the tyres, that does not stop drivers sometimes complaining to their engineers that the tyre is still not working perfectly when in that window, or its degradation is much worse than had been expected.

While the VESevo gun has a ‘hammer’ motion on the tyre when it’s used, it is actually a non-destructive testing tool, so the rubber itself is not damaged. Instead, the motion is simply there to help the tool better understand the viscoelastic characteristic of the tread and rubber.



It is unclear exactly how many F1 teams are using the VESevo gun, but the fact that several MegaRide technicians were seen downloading information on to computers suggests that several teams have already signed up – with more likely to follow now they have seen what their rivals are doing.

The MegaRide gun has already been used by Trident in F2, F3, while other squads have used it in Formula E, DTM and MotoGP.

However, it is understood that Bahrain testing was the first time it’s been put to use in the F1 pitlane.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1...di-gp/5783588/

Jeddah will host Saudi Arabia’s first F1 race on 5 December this year after the country signed a long-term deal to host the championship.

Race organisers have now revealed the 6.175km layout for the track, which will make it the second longest on the F1 calendar after Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

The long straights and high-speed sections are expected to deliver an average lap speed of around 250km/h, with the potential for there being three separate DRS zones.

The fastest part of the track is expected to be on the long sweep down to the final left-hand hairpin corner, Turn 27, where cars are expected to reach 322km/h before they approach the braking zone.
Jeddah Street Circuit

Jeddah Street Circuit

Photo by: Formula 1

While the circuit has been crammed into a narrow area of land by the Jeddah seafront, it features a total of 27 corners and runs anti-clockwise – with the first corner being a tight left-right chicane.

Ross Brawn, F1’s managing director of motorsport, expressed his belief that the layout would be one that produces good racing.

“It’s always very exciting to release the details of a new circuit and the Jeddah Street Circuit is no exception,” he said.

“We have worked closely with the team at Tilke and with the promoter to ensure we have a track that provides exciting wheel-to-wheel racing for our fans and challenges all of the drivers.

“The design brings out the best of a modern street circuit but also has fast paced free flowing areas that will create fast speeds and overtaking opportunities.

“The setting is incredible, on the Red Sea, and we can’t wait to see the cars on track in December.”

The track is located in the Corniche area of Jeddah, which is about 12km north of the main city centre.

It has been designed in partnership with Tilke and F1’s own Motorsports Division, and utilises as many of the existing roads as possible around the narrow stretch of coastal land.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be held at night, and is planned to be the penultimate round of this year’s F1 world championship.

https://youtu.be/UCiNvuB56xg - Jeddah video driving the circuit.

https://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id...m-team-ranking

Red Bull the team to beat for race one: Team-by-team ranking

27 turns, it was fun to watch, but the walls look awful close.....

Monaco will be good practice.

But much slower. Monaco on crack!

That was exactly what I thought. The flow is the same!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Agreed!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

These are the planet's best drivers :) LOL :happydance:

Vettel: Steering tricky to adapt to in Aston Martin F1 switch
By:
Jon Noble
Mar 19, 2021, 9:43 AM

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ve...witch/5800818/

Sebastian Vettel says getting to know his Aston Martin Formula 1 team better, and getting on top of its steering characteristics, are two areas he needs to improve most.

The four-time champion has switched Formula 1 squads this year, moving from Ferrari to the rebranded Aston Martin outfit that has taken over from Racing Point.

After his first official public outing with the team during pre-season testing at Bahrain last weekend, Vettel has highlighted the key areas where he feels there are gains still to be made.

“It's just getting to know the people, as it's one thing to understand what they mean, obviously, and lots of different things to talk about the car," he said.

“On the car, the steering feels different, because it's a different unit. Obviously every F1 car has power steering, but every power steering is set-up slightly differently, and it gives you a different impression because ultimately, when you drive, you have the wheel in your hands and that's the feedback you get."
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR21



One of the other challenges Vettel has faced is adapting to a completely different car concept, with the Aston Martin a low rake car compared to the high rake concepts he has previously raced with at Red Bull and Ferrari.

It means he has a much bigger learning curve to go through, as well as adapting to the Mercedes power unit for the first time.

“The car has a different philosophy,” he said. “It's a different team, it's a different car so it drives a bit differently. It wants to be driven differently, and with a different power unit.

“Without going into detail, because I don't think it's fair to compare in public, but naturally these things are different and take a bit of getting used to.

“It's a different environment inside the car as well, just in terms of the comfort. The pedals are feeling a bit different and the seat is a little bit different. So it’s small stuff, but it's the cumulative effect of all those things put together.”
Read Also:


While Vettel does not want to get involved in comparing the different Aston Martin car concept, he says it has been a fascinating experience for him trying something new out.

“It's been very interesting to me, let's put it that way,” he said. “It's not like there's only one thing. It's not like you have a high rake car and you just drop the rake and you are in a Mercedes, and you are in a Mercedes and you increase the rake and you drive a Red Bull. It's not like that. It's much, much more complex. There's a lot more elements that have to come together.”

BBC F1 Season preview/primer for race 1

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/56438453

Finally, an American kid in the pipeline. Thank you McLaren.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...caD8Qi1s3.html

I watched him in Karting and this kid has speed.

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/32...start-new-eras

F1 expert Mark Hughes looks ahead to big seasons for Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso as the multiple world champions bid to rediscover old form with new teams.

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/3...-one-team-2021

The Formula One season starts with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28.

While not much has changed on the surface, with Covid pushing back the big aerodynamic rule change from this year to 2022, there is plenty at stake this season. For one thing, preseason testing has hinted at the closest championship fight in recent memory.

Every team has something big riding on this year. In championship order from last year, we run through the most pressing concern facing each team going into the new campaign.

Mercedes
Avoiding the end of an era
Mercedes' domination of Formula One is starting to look under threat. We're not talking about the team's lack of performance during preseason testing -- although it didn't help -- but instead what lies beyond 2021 and how committed certain aspects of the team appear to be.

First and foremost, Lewis Hamilton's decision to limit his latest contract to a single year was a genuine surprise earlier this year. The expectation was for a two-year deal at the very least, and although there were factors at play that rushed the talks, such as the COVID pandemic and delaying a sit down with team boss Toto Wolff until after the championship was won, it seems like there is more to the story.


If Hamilton decides to walk away at the end of the year, Mercedes will lose a key component of its period of dominance in F1 and its most valuable marketing asset. That's not to say the team can't win titles without him, but such periods of dominance in the sport are almost always tied to a driver -- think Ayrton Senna at McLaren, Michael Schumacher at Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull -- and when things start to crumble, the driver often leaves soon after or just before.

On the plus side, Wolff himself has committed to three more years with the team, albeit under a restructured ownership model that sees the company split three ways with Mercedes' parent company Daimler, chemical giant Ineos and Wolff himself. Mercedes has made clear it is still committed to F1, but its reduction in its shareholding and its desire for the outfit to turn a profit rather than be a cost centre signifies a change in thinking from Germany.

On top of all of that, new sets of technical and financial regulations for 2022 have been drafted with the objective of preventing a single team from dominating the sport. That alone would make it hard to keep the Mercedes juggernaut in motion, but combined with what appears to be a less competitive car in 2021 and doubts over the future of its star driver, the world champions face their biggest challenge yet to focus their resources on overall victory.

Red Bull
Beating Mercedes over 23 races
It's one thing to build the fastest race car on the grid, it's another to secure a championship with it. Just ask Ferrari about its experience in 2018 and how distant both drivers' and constructors' titles were by the end of the season.

On the basis of testing, Red Bull looks like it will be a match for Mercedes this year, which is a year earlier than most people expected. Even if Mercedes recovers from its poor form in testing (and it almost certainly will), Red Bull has made a significant step forward over the winter and looks set to challenge the world champions for victories on merit.

If that's the case, it will turn Red Bull's usual race tactics on their head. Last year the team regularly rolled the dice on strategy, knowing it will likely be its only chance to beat Mercedes (and knowing the rest of the field is so far back there were very few consequences of taking a gamble). But when you are the team being hunted, the mindset needs to change and the percentages need to be played.

In Max Verstappen, Red Bull undoubtedly has a driver capable of getting the most out of the car in terms of performance, but we have yet to see him under pressure in a championship fight. If he finds himself in a battle for the title this year, it is likely to be with a man who has won it seven times before, so Verstappen will have to retain a cool head at crucial moments.

That's not to say Red Bull isn't ready to a win a title, but against rivals like Mercedes it can't afford to make any mistakes.

McLaren
Living up to Ricciardo's championship billing
Daniel Ricciardo joined McLaren to win a world championship. That might seem a tall order given the team's recent past but there's a rule change on the horizon and the team has switched to Mercedes power this season, so there are plenty of reasons to be positive.

Team boss Andreas Seidl has been a revelation since taking control of the day-to-day operations and there has been a clear upward trajectory in recent seasons. Ricciardo's arrival vindicated that progress - the Australian driver did not feel McLaren was in the right place when they offered him a contract just two years earlier.

Ricciardo is also the perfect person to continue that forward momentum, having forged a reputation as the grid's best overtaker and making a habit of snatching big results whenever they have presented themselves since his breakout season in 2014. Those opportunities will be on offer for McLaren this year.

This will also be a big year for Lando Norris. While there is still a question-mark over just how good previous teammate Carlos Sainz is, Norris now has a benchmark who boasts multiple race victories and genuine world championship pedigree. That could go one of two ways for Norris -- expose flaws or emphasise his talent -- but it would leave McLaren in no doubt about his potential going into a key season in 2022.

Aston Martin
Live up to the hype
Team owner Lawrence Stroll has invested big in the team formerly known as Racing Point. He's signed four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel -- teammate to Lawrence's son Lance -- to lead the rebrand of one of the most iconic car manufacturers in the world.

Stroll hasn't shied away from setting lofty expectations for the team. So often the Silverstone outfit was 'the little team that could' but Stroll wants to turn it into a bonafide championship contender. That won't happen in 2021 but the performance of the team will be under scrutiny from the very first race.

Last year Racing Point's car -- dubbed 'the pink Mercedes' -- was controversial but Sergio Perez signed off the pre-Aston era with a victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix. The scale of the achievement for the team may have flown under the radar slightly given the excitement generated by Perez's first F1 win, but it was a huge moment.

The arrival of Vettel and the big-money rebrand means there are no excuses for not continuing that upward trajectory. Claiming a victory on outright pace in 2021 is unlikely but at the very least this team needs to cement itself as the best team in the midfield going into such a big year in 2022, which presents a huge opportunity in terms of resetting the pecking order.

Alpine
Keeping Alonso's expectations in check
There have been major changes at Alpine over the winter beyond the new name and new livery.

The most obvious one is the departure of Daniel Ricciardo and the arrival of Fernando Alonso, but the management structure has also been overhauled, with former team boss Cyril Abiteboul leaving the outfit.

The management is now headed up by new Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, although he will not play a major role in the day-to-day running of the team. That responsibility falls on highly-rated engineer Marcin Budkowski, who joined Renault in 2018 from the FIA and has been key to the progress made in recent years.

Rather confusingly, Suzuki's former MotoGP boss, Davide Brivio, has also joined Alpine as Racing Director, but his role will be more of trackside job while Budkowski oversees the overall direction of the team and represents Alpine at F1's top table.

But with F1's most demanding driver now at the team, the new management structure won't have much time to bed in. Alonso is known for his natural speed and talent, but also his high expectations. At his two most recent teams -- McLaren and Ferrari -- the lack of results took their strain on the relationship between driver and team, and neither partnership ended with the success it had the potential to achieve.

In an ideal world, Alpine will produce a car capable of matching Alonso's talent, but the reality is likely to be slow progress over the coming years and potentially very little movement up the grid this year. It will be fascinating to see how it pans out.

Ferrari
Keeping focus on 2022
Ferrari is looking to bounce back from a winless 2020 season.
A second year of struggling toward the back of midfield would be unthinkable for Ferrari, but one thing that would be significantly worse would be missing the opportunity to make up ground under next year's regulation changes.

From its starting point in 2021, it's very unlikely Ferrari will challenge for the title this year, but the building blocks must be put in place for 2022. The team was clear on that last year, but those statements were made before Louis Camilleri stepped down as CEO.

Camilleri was a strong supporter of team principal Mattia Binotto, who now looks more exposed without him and could become vulnerable if results continue to spiral downwards in 2021. But it's important for Ferrari's long-term future that the focus remains on making a bigger step in 2022, when it's not unrealistic to start talking about championship challenges again.

A key element to success in 2021 and 2022 will be rediscovering the engine performance that went missing in 2020. The good news from testing is that a step appears to have been made and the car is no longer lacking in straight-line speed.

There's an awful lot more to do to return Ferrari to where it should be, but it seems like F1's most famous team is on the right track.

AlphaTauri
Steppingout of Red Bull's shadow
This has been a long running theme for AlphaTauri, but it seems more relevant than ever. Pierre Gasly's victory at last year's Italian Grand Prix was one of the highlights of 2020's F1 season and, while based on a set of circumstances unlikely to be repeated too often, showed the Faenza team is capable of standing on its own two feet.

Red Bull and AlphaTauri often resist the 'B-team' label when it comes up. Red Bull boss Christian Horner was quick to stress AlphaTauri is a "sister team" after Gasly's win last year, but it's hard to ignore the huge performance differences between them or Red Bull's habit of using the other team to cycle through young drivers.

One of those young drivers is rookie Yuki Tsunoda, who arrives with a fair amount of hype around his rapid rise through the junior ranks. He and Gasly form a great pairing and, if AlphaTauri is a strong midfield candidate this year, there is a tantalising prospect of more podiums being up for grabs in 2021. While those kind of results would be great for AlphaTauri anyway, they would also help in strengthening the argument that its no longer just a junior team to the former world champions.

Alfa Romeo
What comes next for Sauber?
Chip away the red and white livery and peal back the logo from the team hospitality, and you'll still find the name Sauber, not Alfa Romeo, underneath. That's because Alfa Romeo's return to F1 in 2018 was only ever a branding exercise and the team that first joined F1 in 1993 under then team boss Peter Sauber still exists and still runs the outfit from its base in Switzerland.

Sauber has been owned by Swiss investment firm Longbow Finance since 2016, which helped get the team back on its feet before the Alfa Romeo deal was struck with former FIAT Chrysler Automobiles boss Sergio Marchionne. That deal is up for renewal at the end of the year and it's not clear if there is motivation within the Italian brand, which is now part of the Stellantis car group, to continue.

The loss of such a big partner would pose major questions over the future of Sauber, but with F1 gradually inching towards a more sustainable franchise model for its team owners, Longbow is still in a strong position. The incoming budget cap means the cost of competing in F1 will be slashed in coming years, and if the team can make a strong start to the 2022 regulations it will be an attractive proposition for either a new title sponsor or, if Longbow decides to leave F1, a new buyer.

Nevertheless, planning ahead in 2021 will be crucial for one of F1's most likable midfield teams.

Haas
Treading water with two rookies
Haas is braced for a year firmly at the back of the order, but that was always expected this season. On paper, prospects for 2021 are fairly bleak.

The team arrived at preseason testing with no major upgrades for this year's car. From what we saw over three days in Bahrain, Haas has clearly slipped behind Williams to the back of the competitive order.

But it is important to look at the bigger picture with Haas as 2021 will be a huge transitional year for the team. After years of stability with Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean, the team goes into the year with rookie paring Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. The latter's arrival comes with the financial backing of his father Dimitry's company, Uralkali.

The arrival of that sponsorship likely played a signifiant role in team owner Gene Haas deciding to stick to his F1 commitment beyond this season. F1 is starting to resemble the kind of championship Haas has always wanted to be a part of.

The incoming budget cap won't completely level the playing field but it will, in theory, make it much easier for a little team like Haas to compete with the big-spending teams at the front of the grid. By effectively writing off 2021 from the get-go, Haas has given itself plenty of time to focus on building a competitive car in time for the aerodynamic rule change planned for next season.

Williams
Starting the new era strongly
Same name, new ownership and new era. The Williams family is gone; Dorilton Capital is in its first full year controlling the team following its purchase last year.

The new owners have already made their mark. A new livery grabbed the attention ahead of the season but changes extend well beyond the aesthetic. Jost Capito has been installed CEO of the team and brings great pedigree with him, having overseen multiple World Rally Championship titles for Ford and Volkswagen.

Capito's name might be familiar to you, having briefly been installed as head of McLaren's F1 operation by Ron Dennis in 2016. Dennis' departure and the arrival of Zak Brown led to Capito leaving the team at the end of the same year, but now he has a second chance to show why he comes so highly regarded.

Dorilton's rebuild continued to take shape ahead of the opening race, with Francois-Xavier Demaison -- known, entertainingly, as FX -- joining as technical director from Volkswagen this month.

With all those changes, drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi remain. While Latifi is there purely for the money he brings, Russell is one of the most exciting young talents on the grid and is determined to score points for Williams after several near-misses in 2020. All the ingredients are in place for an improved season.

Practice 1 is on !! https://cricfree.live/watchfeeds/index/147

https://www.planetf1.com/news/bahrai...21-fp2-report/


The qualify is going to be interesting...

Good stream to see the SKY pre qualy show that the US ESPN never shows

https://www.streameast.live/formula-...in-grand-prix/

Only caught the tail end of qualifying. :icon14: Tomorrow's race is going to be interesting to say the least!! :tup:

The stream link I posted is SKY F1 24/7. They should replay if needed. I have a US friend who was sharing this with me as I was curious what options he has. I have SKY.

https://cricfree.live/watchfeeds/index/147

found qualifying interesting finish watch the replay on F1TV.
ferrari 1/2 in Q2, a bit of surprise..
Hamilton giving it all he can
Max really getting it all together at the end.
But Red Bull blew it with Perez, should have put him on the soft...
Vettel who knows
Stroll seemed a bit stronger today -
Tsunoda - will be fun to watch
waiting for the race to watch

ESPN SUCKS! Not fully committed to F1.

ESPN coverage so far is worse this year compared to last. Barley any pre shows available. Hate when they cut with no warning into their ‘regular’ programming during the post race activity.

Need F1 to hurry up and get an Apple TV app going! Dumb that I have to cast the app from my iPad to enjoy on the big screen.

https://www.streameast.live/formula-1/


https://cricfree.live/watchfeeds/index/147

5min to start race #1 woohooo!

Can't take away anything from Ham, but eh.

I'm actually a bit more pooped that Ferrari is probably going to have another underwhelming season.

Ferrari team management stated earlier their focus is for 2022. Better engine now but not enough time to clean up the aero for this year or worth the resources.
Hope 2022 is better as they predict with the new rules/regs.

5h!t. All I needed was another lap :(

Are you able to stream from tsn.ca? Maybe it’s going to be geographically limited to Canada, but they have the Sky Sports coverage from the pre-race to the interviews after chequered flag.

exciting race, my son and I were both yelling about the penalty...
but the rest of the field at the end, there wasn't a whole lot action after the first two..
impress with Lando and Tsunoda. Perez did a great job, starting in the pit lane...
hopefully the entire season will be like this, with maybe a few others running up there...

All I can say is poor Haas. Everyone involved.

Nice review of the current F1 status after Race-1

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/3...nger-round-one

I give Vettel 5 more sub-performing races and Stroll-daddy punts his azz :)

https://www.grandprix247.com/2021/03...-a-pulp-in-f1/

He might get spun out on license points before his spinning the car out causes this!