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Red Bull won't "burn" rough diamond Tsunoda in F1 - https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/re...in-f1/6060146/
By: Jonathan Noble Co-author: Christian Nimmervoll Red Bull insists it will not ‘burn’ Yuki Tsunoda by promoting him from AlphaTauri too quickly, despite his impressive Formula 1 debut. The Japanese youngster marked himself out as a future star with a great showing at last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. He set the second fastest time in Q1 and finished the race in ninth place, having pulled off a great overtaking move on Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll on the final lap. Tsunoda’s pace and the hype surrounding him has already prompted suggestions he could be in the frame to step up to the main Red Bull team from 2022. However, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has urged caution about such talk, despite clearly believing that Tsunoda has a bright future. Marko remains well aware of the fact that Daniil Kvyat, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon have all failed to reach their full potential at Red Bull after being promoted and there is a sense to not rush things this time. In an exclusive interview with Autosport’s German language sister site Formel1.de, Marko praised the impact that Tsunoda had made but said Red Bull was ready to be patient. “The way he goes about it, the way he makes the car fly [is fantastic],” Marko said about Tsunoda. “He's also a charismatic, funny guy. We are very happy to have him.” Asked about the prospect of a 2022 drive at Red Bull, he replied: “We’ve had the first of 23 races, so let's see how things develop. “We have an incredible rough diamond in Yuki. We're not going to burn him. We will look at the development and then make our decisions in a timely manner.” A move to Red Bull for Tsunoda would be bad news for Sergio Perez, who is currently on a one-year deal to drive for Red Bull this season. The Mexican had a mixed weekend in Bahrain, after getting dumped out of qualifying in Q2 before recovering well in the race to take fifth place. Tsunoda “wouldn’t sleep” if he hadn’t attacked Stroll on last lap Marko said that in terms of race pace there were no concerns about Perez, but the key for him now was putting a lap together in qualifying. “The race speed is on the same level as Verstappen,” said Marko. “When he was in free air, he set the same times, so, so far, so good. Unfortunately, it wasn't like that in qualifying. “The positive thing was that he lost most of his time in one turn, Turn 1. Already during testing, in sector three, he was faster than Max on average. The only issue is: you have to get the lap together. “But we are convinced that he will get much closer to Max in qualifying as well.” |
The next race weekend is soon upon us!! Imola is round #2 :)
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/br...ction/6203027/ Brundle: F1's rake focus is a "distraction" By: Tom Howard Apr 11, 2021, 10:31 AM Martin Brundle believes the current intrigue in Formula 1 surrounding car rake is "a distraction" from the real issues at play between Mercedes and Red Bull. Brundle: F1's rake focus is a "distraction" The pace shown by F1’s top two teams at the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix left Mercedes in no doubt that its form had been hit by new rules introduced this year. In particular, it believes that changes to the floor aimed at cutting downforce have hurt lowrake cars like its own and Aston Martin much more than high-rake models like Red Bull. Aston Martin even went as far as suggesting the rule changes resulted in its car losing one second per lap of performance compared to high-rake rivals. Sky Sports F1 pundit Brundle is not convinced that the rake issue offers the full explanation behind Mercedes apparent pace struggles. He is confident that despite its early struggles with the W12, the Brackley squad will “get it together” as he still thinks Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are the team/driver combination to beat. “I think the rake thing is a little bit of a distraction and I think the Mercedes is not really working that well at the moment,” Brundle told Autosport. “Red Bull and Honda are working particularly well, as are a few other cars. “The regulations mean you can’t just keep throwing new upgrades at it every week like they have perhaps done in the past, but Mercedes will get it together. “[Lewis] Hamilton and Mercedes are still the combo to beat for the world championship.” Looking ahead to next weekend’s race at Imola, Brundle is predicting another closely fought contest between Mercedes and Red Bull. The ex-F1 driver turned distinguished broadcaster says that Hamilton’s Bahrain victory proved that Mercedes, even on the back foot, cannot be underestimated. “It depends what they do to their car in between times,” added Brundle, when asked if he thought Mercedes would have a tougher battle to overcome Red Bull at Imola. “It is obviously more limited as to what you can change anyway now. “I wouldn’t underestimate Mercedes. I mean everybody is talking about rake and how it has damaged Mercedes and therefore Aston Martin, but unless I’m mistaken, a Mercedes won the race in Bahrain with Red Bull having dominated the last race [in Abu Dhabi] last year. “I think it will be really close, they will sort the Mercedes out. “Hamilton was absolutely magnificent in Bahrain and for me he won the race as much as anybody else lost it, or any team lost it. “I really don’t know who will be best around Imola and that is the wonderful thing about live sport.” |
Formula 1 Emilia Romagna GP Analysis
The themes to watch in F1’s Imola return By: Alex Kalinauckas Apr 13, 2021, 9:09 AM Three weeks is a long time in Formula 1, but in the reshaped start to the 2021 season the teams head to Imola to pick things up after the frenetic Bahrain opener. Here's what to look out for and the developments to follow at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix The second Emilia Romagna Grand Prix possesses something reassuringly familiar in the current uncertain climate: it’s the start of the European F1 spring. Usually, the teams would be heading to Barcelona after a travelling back from Australia via the Middle East and Asia, but 2021 had just one initial flyaway. The Bahrain season opener was a thriller, with notable themes at the front of the field immediately emerging. But, as well as those motifs likely continuing this weekend, the Imola event is significant for every squad. At the front, Red Bull has F1’s fastest car, but hasn’t got a victory to show for it thanks to Mercedes’ aggressive Bahrain strategy calls, plus Lewis Hamilton’s continuing tyre management excellence. The question is whether Red Bull can stay ahead and convert its promise into a nerve-settling win this weekend. Mercedes certainly expects its rival to be so thanks to the high-speed sections of the 19-turn layout, which don’t suit the W12. But a return to Europe plus the three-week gap since Bahrain means there’s every chance that the teams will take this opportunity to tweak their 2021 machines with update packages within the limits of this season’s design-carryover rules. Mercedes hinted in pre-season it would reveal its token upgrade spend in due course, which suggests it still has something to add to the W12 given it ran its testing specification to victory in Bahrain. Red Bull can of course make further tweaks to improve the RB16B package that looked so good last time out, but with the need to consider when to switch resources to the 2022 cars and keep under the new cost cap, it’s not a given that teams will bring updates to every race this year. In the pack behind the leaders, Alpine has already acted, opting to bring an aerodynamic upgrade package to this weekend’s event after confirming “some of the weaknesses of our package” in Bahrain, per team executive director Marcin Budkowski. But while the physical changes will be apparent when the cars take to the track on Friday, there will be additional unseen elements of progress that the teams will be eyeing this weekend. Red Bull needs Sergio Perez to make an impression in the lead fight. The Mexican was dropped to the back of the field through no fault of his own in Bahrain, but he would’ve been starting outside the top 10 even without what is now described as a formation lap electrical issue by the team. He fought back impressively in the race, but that just won’t be possible this weekend if he qualifies down the order again given passing will be a rare event should the race run interrupted throughout. If, as Mercedes expects, Red Bull and Verstappen lead the way again in qualifying, plus there’s the potential Perez improvement against the clock, then it will be interesting to see which of the Black Arrows drivers is the nearest challenger “My goal is to have a good race and I’m looking forward to the weekend,” Perez says ahead of the race. “Hopefully in Imola we can come back and be in contention to fight for a podium and hopefully the win. Unlike Bahrain, qualifying is very important at Imola as you can hardly overtake there – but I like it.” The 2020 Emilia Romagna GP showcased exactly why Red Bull needs two cars in the lead fight, as Mercedes was able to put Hamilton onto a strategy that would’ve likely got him back ahead of Max Verstappen even without fortuitous virtual safety car timing, using its 2-1 advantage to great effect. In that race, Hamilton triumphed despite it being a weekend where Valtteri Bottas had had an edge, right up until he ran over a piece of Ferrari bodywork that Sebastian Vettel had lost against Kevin Magnussen’s Haas. If, as Mercedes expects, Red Bull and Verstappen lead the way again in qualifying, plus there’s the potential Perez improvement against the clock, then it will be interesting to see which of the Black Arrows drivers is the nearest challenger. Hamilton looked more at home in the troublesome W12 in Bahrain, where Bottas also compromised his race with a slow first lap, but the Finn can look back on F1’s last visit to Imola for inspiration. Although Ferrari has taken a significant step forwards compared to its 2020 nightmare, it seems as if the Scuderia will need its drivers to deliver their own brilliance this weekend. Charles Leclerc shone at Imola last year with a performance similar to the one he produced in Bahrain – qualifying higher than the car deserved to be and then hanging on in the race. Imola’s tight-but-rapid nature means he won’t necessarily slide backwards this time around if he can get another lofty grid spot. Carlos Sainz Jr gets a first chance to race for Ferrari in Italy and will be out to make an impression. Another home-hero squad for this weekend is AlphaTauri, which lost the chance for an impressive 2020 result at Imola to a radiator weld failure on Pierre Gasly’s car. The Frenchman put in another impressive qualifying display in Bahrain, but ruined it clattering Daniel Ricciardo early in the race. This weekend, he gets the chance to reinforce his team’s potential at a track where he was very fast last year, while the early career momentum gathering around Yuki Tsunoda will increase if he impresses again at this tricky track. While Aston Martin seems to have gone from podium chasing with Perez at Imola last year to a likely struggle to make Q3 and the points in 2021 – largely thanks to the rear floor changes that have also hampered Mercedes considerably – McLaren was best of the rest in Bahrain. This weekend offers the perfect chance to solidify its progress after the team was unexpectedly at the back of the fluctuating midfield scrap and in a weekend of ‘damage limitation’ on its way to seventh and eighth at Imola last year. Alfa Romeo is another team out to show its Bahrain pace and progress was not a one-off, while Haas will be hoping its drivers can keep their cars pointing in the right direction across the weekend. At Williams, a George Russell redemption story is waiting to be written given his embarrassing safety car crash here in 2020. But he’ll need to ace qualifying, as he did last year and in Bahrain last time out, plus race as strongly as he did nearly six months ago to be in points contention if something unexpected occurs. That’s what Imola offers. It’s a fearsome track – an “iconic old-school track with a fast and flowing layout that provides little room for error”, per McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo – with many bumps to test the drivers, as well having an unusual anti-clockwise layout. A straightforward race will mean a certain one-stopper because the pitlane time is so high, but the challenging layout (with close gravel traps at most corners hopefully putting the tedious track limits debate on ice for a while!) means there’s every chance a dull affair could be enlivened very quickly. But overtaking will still be very difficult, even with a longer DRS zone this year. So, if it’s close – from the off or late-on as things shake out – it’ll likely be tense. |
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This is the coolest cat in the paddock lol :)
The secret of Imola’s lucky F1 paddock cat By: Luke Smith Apr 15, 2021, 4:50 AM Following an enthralling tussle in Bahrain three weeks ago, the close fight between Mercedes and Red Bull looks set to rage on as Formula 1 returns to Imola this weekend. It's not like you will find a lucky black cat crossing your path at Imola. But you will find a grey tabby cat. His name is Formulino. And he is the secret cat king of the Imola F1 paddock. Little was known about Formulino prior to last year's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which marked Imola's first F1 race since 2006, but as various preparations were carried out on Thursday in the paddock, he became a regular visitor to the teams' garages, keeping a close eye on those who had entered his paddock. Then-Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was graced by Formulino as he spoke to Sky Sports F1 in the media pen. "It's good luck if he comes and sees you," presenter Ted Kravitz told Vettel. But Vettel wasn't so enthused. "I don't like cats," he said. "I have nothing to offer it. He's a bit overweight though…" Lewis Hamilton was far more welcoming to the cat, who had a good nose around one of Mercedes' team units. Formulino was quick to say hello to the reigning world champion, who took a moment to give him a stroke and pet his head. Aware his subject's interest was waning, Hamilton duly went on his way - but as Mercedes' Twitter account pointed out, both he and the team had been "blessed by the Imola cat". Since his starring role at Imola last year, Formulino has joined the ranks of F1's many famous pets, including Hamilton's dog Roscoe and - this writer's personal favourite - Alexander Albon's various furry friends on the @AlbonPets Instagram account, led by the adorable Horsey Albon. Formulino's Instagram account - in which he rightly claims to be "the owner of Imola" - features pictures of him sitting in on all of the circuit's important meetings, including scrutineering and planning for the return of this year's grand prix. If the boss is around, you need to be on best behaviour. In the build-up to this weekend's race, F1 rightly credited Formulino by producing him a very special VIP paddock pass. As we all know, paddock access is currently extremely limited due to the COVID-19 restrictions, with exceptions made where deemed necessary, such as for one-eyed charity teddy bears (which strangely sparked one protest…). But Formulino does what he wants. After all, who is going to stop him? Formulino's pass lists him as a member of Imola's personnel, his position being "cat", and grants him access for all days of the event. He even posed for a paddock pass photo like a true professional. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/th...k-cat/6271815/ |
Fun qualy today!
--------------------- What To Watch For in the Emilia Romagna GP: Hamilton vs two Red Bulls and Tsunoda’s fightback Special contributor Chris Medland https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...dC2tN3peE.html From Lewis Hamilton facing a two-pronged attack to extremely quick drivers out of position, and from Williams realistically fighting for points to a rookie looking to atone for an error, we highlight five key things to look out for in Sunday’s race at Imola… 1. Hamilton versus two Red Bulls Unlike the pattern we've got used to recently, it’s Mercedes under pressure strategically We’ve become accustomed to seeing Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas together as the top three – in varying order – over the past year or two, and they key thing about that combination is that it’s two Mercedes drivers up against one Red Bull. Even when the second Red Bull has been at the sharp end it is rarely been able to stay there for a full race, so even at the best of times that still means it’s an equal fight between two teams of two cars. But that’s not the case this weekend, where Sergio Perez pulled out an excellent performance to outqualify Verstappen – the first time the Dutchman has been beaten by a team mate since 2018 – to start on the front row alongside Hamilton, with Verstappen in third place. And with Bottas down in eighth, that gives Red Bull two cars to fight with against the lone Mercedes early on. Perez also starts on the soft compound compared to mediums for Hamilton and Verstappen, meaning Red Bull already have two different strategies in play from the word go, and potentially an advantage off the line. It means the tables are turned when it comes to the strategic battle, and it will be fascinating to see how both sides respond to this unusual dynamic. 'We're not robots' - Verstappen on 'messy' Q3 that led to being out-qualified by a team mate for first time since 2018 Verstappen starts third – right behind Hamilton – while team mate Perez starts second 2. Bottas and Norris with ground to make up Sharing the fourth row, both drivers should have been much higher Bottas is definitely out of position, but what was interesting about his qualifying performance is we never actually saw his true pace. The Finn had a poor first lap and couldn’t rectify it with his second, as he complained of a nervous rear end in Q3. Given the fact that Bottas was on pole here last year, it’s definitely an underachievement, but in an extremely close qualifying session there were a number of drivers left to rue their final results, none more so than Lando Norris. The McLaren seemed to come alive in the hands of Norris on Saturday and the British driver was already looking quick before his final Q3 attempt, when he grabbed everyone’s attention by setting the fastest first sector overall. When he followed it with the fastest second sector, a stunning pole position looked on the cards, but after crossing the line in P2 he saw his lap time deleted for marginally running wide at Turn 9. The pace was massively impressive – Norris would have been within 0.1s of pole had he kept the car on track – but he admits he only has himself to blame for taking a tiny bit too much risk. He’ll now need to take a few more to make up for it on Sunday. 3. A crucial start Overtaking was extremely tough at Imola last year Speaking of taking risks, the whole field will be contemplating being on the aggressive side when the lights go out, based on last season’s visit to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. On that occasion, track position was king as overtaking was extremely difficult, with Perez seeing a podium slip away after being called into the pits during a late Safety Car period. The drivers were expecting a tough time in 2020, but now they have that experience and know exactly how tough it is, they’ll be aware that the first lap can make or break their race as they are unlikely to be able to gain multiple positions on track after that point. That said, the forecast is for a chance of rain, and even if it’s dry the DRS zone has been extended this year to try and increase the opportunities for overtaking. We’ve also already seen a number of drivers at least dip a wheel into the gravel at the final corner that leads into the DRS zone – with both Charles Leclerc and Nikita Mazepin crashing there on Friday. Gaining an early foothold at Imola is crucial; the narrow layout does not make overtaking easy 4. Tsunoda's fightback A crash in qualifying means the rookie is starting last Speaking of crashes, the most spectacular one was suffered by Yuki Tsunoda, and it proved to be extremely costly. AlphaTauri have looked rapid all weekend at their home track – just like they did last year – and both drivers were eyeing a top-10 start at the very least. But Tsunoda spun into the barriers at the Variante Alta – Turn 15 – on his first timed lap in Q1 and brought out the red flags. The damage to the rear of the car was substantial, and might even necessitate a pit lane start depending on repairs, but either way Tsunoda is going to be the last car in the order whether he’s on the grid or in the pits. And for the neutrals, that could be a mouthwatering prospect. Tsunoda was the standout driver when it came to overtaking moves in Bahrain, scything his way through the field on the brakes after a cautious opening lap. Imola is a track he knows well after extensive testing at the venue during the off-season (albeit in old machinery), and he’s got a much quicker car than a number of those ahead of him. He can’t really rely on an epic first lap to erase the damage, so he’s going to need more of that braking confidence to get himself anywhere near the points. 5. Williams' dream of points Both drivers reached Q2 and had a shot at a top-10 qualifying position The majority of the field will be after a point-scoring finish at Imola after a remarkably close qualifying session. All 10 teams were in with a chance of advancing from Q1, with Haas just 0.4s off courtesy of Mick Schumacher. But the most eye-catching performance in the first part of qualifying came from Williams, where Nicholas Latifi continued his strong weekend to advance in P12 and ahead of team mate George Russell. Both drivers were eyeing Q3 but were unable to quite find the required time on their final soft tyre runs, with Russell ending up 12th and Latifi 14th, but properly in the midfield mix. The car is quick enough to fight for points, and while the difficult overtaking might mean they need to rely on early gains or a strategic move to get into the top 10, the pace is such that they should be able to stay there. |
Should be a fun race tomorrow.
Hopefully. |
Chance of rain and a damp track. This is going to be a Fun one!! :icon14:
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Honda reveals development secrets of 2021 F1 engine By: Adam Cooper Apr 23, 2021, 7:27 AM Honda has given a detailed insight into the development of its 2021 Formula 1 power unit, which scored its first victory in the hands of Max Verstappen at Imola. Honda reveals development secrets of 2021 F1 engine Honda's 2021 engine, the RA621H, is viewed by many in the F1 paddock as the strongest PU on the grid, with Pierre Gasly’s qualifying form for AlphaTauri backing up the pace advantage of Red Bull Racing. Verstappen took Red Bull and Honda's first victory of the season in last weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and the RB16B has proved to be the quickest car on the grid so far this year. A major package of changes to the Honda PU had originally been postponed to 2022, but following the Japanese company’s decision to end its official involvement in F1 at the end of 2021 it was decided to fast track the new project for this year. “The original plan was to implement this new structure PU this year in 2021,” said head of power unit development Yasuaki Asaki. “But then for a variety of reasons, it was decided not to proceed with a brand new PU. However, the thinking on this really changed when Honda announced that we would be leaving the sport. “I went to President [Takahiro] Hachigo, and said to him that we would really like to implement this new structure PU for our last year in the sport. And he kindly accepted that request.” Asaki stressed that the changes to the layout of the new PU were so significant that a huge amount of work was required, as well as input from Red Bull Technology. “That was never going to be an easy task, given the scope of the changes being made to the power unit’s architecture,” he said. “First of all we've changed the camshaft layout to be much more compact, and also brought its position lower down so it's closer to the ground. “The main point of what we've changed was to improve combustion efficiency. In order to do so we had to change the valve angle, and in order to do that we had to change the camshaft. "We've also had to make the head cover lower and more compact, which means that the way that air flows over it has become a lot better, and we've also lowered the centre of gravity of the ICE. "Another thing we changed is the bore pitch, by reducing the distance between one bore and the next, we've made the engine itself shorter, smaller. “In the old engine straddling the transmission we also had a bank offset whereby the left bank was slightly offset from the right bank. So what we've done is reverse this offset on the new engine so that the right bank is forward, and the left bank is back.” Red Bull Racing RB16B Asaki said that Honda had to address all the key parameters in order to stay competitive with its main rivals. “Another point that we've had to think about is the fact that combustion efficiency has got better," he said. "And the camshaft output has got better. Due to the rules of physics the amount of energy that can be stored has changed, and it meant that the amount of exhaust energy has decreased. “So compared to the recovery that we were getting last year, what we're having to do is increase the amount of crankshaft output, and at the same time ensure that there's a good level of exhaust output, exhaust temperature as well. “So we've had a number of different development objectives, and we believe we have met them.” |
Portuguese GP
30 Apr - 2 May Race Starts in 8 days -:driving: :driving: |
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ve...ggles/6420453/
Vettel not beating himself up over Aston struggles Co-author: Adam Cooper Apr 23, 2021, 11:01 AM Aston Martin Formula 1 team boss Otmar Szafnauer insists that Sebastian Vettel is "not beating himself up" after a difficult start to the 2021 season. Vettel not beating himself up over Aston struggles The German has been outpaced by team-mate Lance Stroll in the first two races, having qualified 18th in Bahrain, and 13th at Imola. Last weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix proved to be a disaster for Vettel. Both drivers had an issue with overheating brakes in the laps to the grid, but while Stroll was able to take the start from the grid, Vettel's car had to be pushed to the pitlane because repairs could not be completed in time. In addition, he received a penalty because the team was still working on the car, with the wheels off, too close to the start. During the race Vettel also suffered a gearbox issue, and he was told to retire the car in the closing laps. "I think he's fine," said Szafnauer. "I think he has very high expectations. I know he has very high expectations of himself. And he will work tirelessly to get better and move up that learning curve. "But he's not beating himself up, so to speak. He'll just take that bit of frustration, and he'll be even more determined to get up to speed quickly. "I mean, not his fault at all that we unfortunately burned his rear brake ducts and cake tins, and then it was so close to actually replacing them on the grid without without having to start from the pitlane, and then the penalty. "After that, he had no chance really, and that wasn't his fault." Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin, on the grid Along with other drivers who have switched teams for 2021, Vettel has struggled to find the limits of his new car. "Well, if the car philosophies are completely different then it does take time," said Szafnauer. "And having talked to Checo [Perez] too, he's gone to a Red Bull, which has a different philosophy to ours. And he says the same, that it's just gonna take seat time to be able to get to those fine, fine margins of getting the most out of the car. Read Also: "And it's just that simple. The more seat time the better. Seb, because he had the penalty, he was never really in contention. "But after he put the dry tyres on, he was doing some really quick lap times. So I think he's getting on top of the car, and it'll just get better better." |
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ho...ficit/6486167/
Formula 1 / Analysis How Aston Martin is fighting back from its low rake deficit By: Matt Somerfield Co-author: Giorgio Piola Apr 27, 2021, 4:57 AM Aston Martin has spoken openly about how it feels that Formula 1’s new 2021 aero regulations have hurt its low rake car. How Aston Martin is fighting back from its low rake deficit Team principal Otmar Szafnauer is keen to hold talks with the FIA to understand the procedures of its legislature - and although the political saga will continue to rumble on in the background, the team has had to introduce developments in a bid to catch up with the opposition. Having already changed its floor design for the first race of the season, Aston Martin arrived in Imola with yet more changes to try and boost the AMR21’s aerodynamic performance. This time it turned its attention to the sidepods and the various aero surfaces that surround them. The sidepods were already incredibly tightly packaged on the AMR21 but in an effort to boost aerodynamic performance, the design team focused on reducing the size of the inlet and, as a consequence, the size of the sidepod’s shoulder. Having ticked both of these features off the checklist, Aston Martin was also able to go in search of further gains, with the sidepod wing that extends out from the cockpit to the edge of the floor now warped, whilst a much larger endplate is used to define its outermost edge (white arrow). This design will likely shed a more intense vortex than the solution raced until now (below). This change is also extremely interesting, as it’s much more in keeping with the aerodynamic philosophy that the team had in its previous guise as Racing Point. Staying with the aerodynamic surfaces attached to the sidepod, we have to mention the blade-like fin attached to the sidepod’s shoulder (blue arrow), which had previously been mounted horizontally but now finds itself enlarged and fixed at an almost 45-degree angle. Meanwhile, the lower side impact spar housing that extends out to meet the sidepod deflector has also been revised, as it now droops down to meet the vertical flow diverter (green arrow), altering the ratio in its division of the flow around the sidepod. Aston Martin has also chosen to overhaul the design of its wing mirrors and their supports, with the main cockpit support now at a right angle (red arrow), rather than being curved. As a consequence of this extra rigidity, the lower support that passed beneath the mirror has been removed. Meanwhile, the mirror housing is hung beneath the structure via two brackets, rather than one, whilst the lower mount attaches directly to the mirror. The changes are not only isolated just to the frontal region of the sidepod though, as the ramped section of bodywork behind has also been addressed as part of the update (as made clear by the yellow line). The ramp has been lengthened quite significantly in order that it meets with the floor much further down the car. This has several ramifications, with not only the aerodynamic characteristics altered but also the internal flow for cooling revised too. This has also resulted in the engine cover bodywork being revised, with the cooling outlet shape revised to accommodate the longer ramp (see the section around the BWT logo), whilst the bulge that’s wrapped tightly to the larger inlet plenum on this year’s Mercedes power unit might have been altered subtly too. The team also had a new rear wing arrangement at Imola, with a spoon-shaped design used in preference to the conventional straight edge design. It’s a solution that the team has turned to before in its previous guises and will reduce the drag created at the outer extremities whilst still providing the downforce required from the central section. Aston Martin started out with the Z-shaped floor cutout that’s now preferred by most of the grid but its first effort was not quite as expansive as the new solution that arrived at the first race of the season. The latest solution puts the team at the furthest point on the cutout spectrum to date, with most of the floor returned parallel to the car’s centreline. There is also a double row of fins to direct flow at the start of the cut out and a boxed-in set of fins line the edge of the floor ahead of the rear tyre. |
This is too funny. When Racing Point was under scrutiny LY and later penalized for copying Merc AMG, $troll was quick to point out how they're competitors "should have done a much better job and focused on developing their car instead". Now that Aston Martin is in the $h!tter, he was quick to pull the legal card instead of doing a better job of developing and focused on their own Aston Martin car instead.
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The real challenge is the lame car company he now owns. I expect he will sell it if he can somehow make it 'profitable' enough. Chinese or maybe Mercedes money to save it from him. Vettel commercials will not be enough LOL :happydance: |
Questions for the weekend - https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/3...2021-f1-season
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Review of Prac 1 and 2. We see another RedBull and Mercedes challenge. Its close. Great circuit!
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/3...ese-grand-prix |
Mercedes paddock after Bottas lands P1.
What a happy bunch. |
I thought Bottas would have a chance for the win when he got a great start and built a decent lead.
But somehow Hamilton became much quicker. I believe, Hamilton's skill on tire management is on a different level. Hopefully Verstappen can get closer on the next race. |
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I have said it over the last year and a half, Lando Norris is the young gun to watch. He is fast, smart and makes good decisions. Right now I would put him second to Hamilton in his ability to over take other cars. Hell he maybe the best as we don't get to see Lewis come from behind very often. Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk |
F1 Spanish GP: Verstappen tops final practice from Hamilton
By: Alex Kalinauckas May 8, 2021, 7:09 AM Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the top spot in final practice for Formula 1’s 2021 Spanish Grand Prix by 0.235s – raising expectations of a tight qualifying showdown at Barcelona. Max appears stronger now vs Friday. Pre Qualy show is on SKY. Stream here and avoid no coverage if you are waiting for another network to broadcast - https://cricfree.live/watchfeeds/index/147 |
100 Pole for Hamilton. What an accomplishment. :tup:
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Happy Race Day!!
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exciting race today, not sure what to say, but Hamilton did it again.
Verstappen, got the lead at the first corner, and then the tire strategy came in to play. But Hamilton came from 22 seconds back to win. It at least was an interesting race. So 4 races are in the books, my thoughts -- maybe Max is the only one that can drive the Red Bull car, Perez was good in the race but was too far behind in qualification. (Note: he was not feeling well on Saturday). So hopeful the next couple of weeks will tell. -- Ocon - has taken up the challenge over Alonso, hope it continues -- Stroll seems to be improving, thou the Aston Martin is now behind. -- Tsunoda - well someone please slow him down, too hard on himself and tries too hard and his car just stopping today did not help -- Ferrari, is getting it right, and the two team mates seem matched. -- Mick Schumacher - might have it, seems to do all the right things and stays out of trouble -- McLaren - not sure, kind a mix feelings right now, getting close... just my thoughts :tiphat: |
Red Bull caught with their pants down once again. It's giving me a headache.
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I don't know if we can really fault Red Bull, or just hold higher regard for how well Mercedes and Hamilton execute their plans. One can make up for the other when something doesn't go perfect.
It's pretty much a sport where the race is won before it starts — which does take away from the sense of grit and heroic competition, but when we're talking being the absolute fastest, this is how it just looks. Lewis always had pace on his side despite how Verstappen looked early in the race. |
Reb Bull got beaten/tricked by the same trick their opponent used 2 years ago.
they should have reacted to this differently rather than just keeping verstappen out there and become a rabbit. |
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Really had to laugh at the SC a half dozen laps in, after Max killed his tires trying to establish a lead at the start of the race. It's like Hamilton knew it was coming. Lewis is a supremely talented driver in the best car on the grid, but he has more luck than anyone has a right to get. Bottas - was he in the same race? They had to keep telling him to pull the finger out, and nothing happened. Not sure what's going on there. Charles continues to impress, bringing the car home in way higher positions than it really should get. Last year, it was mainly down to him. This year, the team has had a chance to regroup, and both LeClerc and Sainz are finally getting some support. But wait for Ferrari to fold in the clinch, as they don't have the strategy to support better placings. Finally, WTF is wrong with Alfa Romeo's garage? Seriously, you have ONE job o do. Inflate the bloody tires. They screw up so predictably, it's beyond Keystone Cops anymore. |
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in hindsight, should MAX had past Hamilton or just stayed behind...
Interesting, the real question is how much did Hamilton learn about MAX and was he just pacing himself a second behind to get MAX to drive harder... Bottas, just does not have it, by much, just shows you how much a better driver/tire manager Hamilton is. Really probably the best, wingman you can have... |
I think this race proves again how superior MB is. In just four races the talk about the new rules and rake is no longer a thing. MB figured it out. RB is fast but their car is hard on tires and Max driving style is to aggressive to compete with Lewis. Lewis has him beat in the shortest straight away on every track and that the six inches between his ears. The greatest in any sport is "lucky" than the rest because they always put themselves in a place to when. RB really didn't have a chance to win as Lewis and even Bottas was faster than the RB car. Bottas is done! I doubt he will last the season. Time to promote George Russell. Russell continues to get faster and we know he can drive the MB.
The best of the rest continues to be fun! Leclerk continues to improve and go fast. McLaren is fast but seemed a little of this race Austin Martin, enough said. Alpha and Alpine are fun to watch. They are the party crashers. They may not be in the top of the best of the rest but they are going to keep it interesting by stealing points from the rest! Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk |
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So for Monaco....................
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Bottas is selling his AMG GT-S.
Perhaps the start of his separation from all things Mercedes? https://www.autoevolution.com/news/v...it-161072.html |
Stolen from facebook:
https://scontent.fyto1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...1e&oe=60C24002 |
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----------- Valtteri Bottas has put his Mercedes AMG GT road car up for sale to raise funds for his home go-kart track in Lahti, Finland. The Mercedes F1 driver posted a link on social media to a page inviting offers on his blue, 2018 Mercedes AMG GT at a starting price of €190,000. The post was aimed at his Finnish followers with no explanation in English, but he told Finnish publication IS that part of the money would go towards a crowdfunding project for the track in Lahti where he learned to race. A crowdfunding page for the Valtteri Bottas Racepark claims the track needs investment to fend off redevelopment and that its paddock area has already been lost to the construction of a new ring road. The page sets out a target of €100,000 in order to develop a new paddock to a level that would attract European and World Championship-level racing. "I am committed to investing financially in the Pippo track and I am now looking for people to work with to develop the place," Bottas told IS. Bottas said he would hand over the AMG GT to the new buyer personally and would taking them karting in Lahti as part of the deal. He also revealed that he has a new Mercedes road car on order after upgrading to an AMG GT Black Series, which will be delivered to his home in Monaco. |
Well good to know that I am not alone in my assessment of LH.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e3ac661bdc.jpg
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk |
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Mercedes openly sharing their information hoping other teams get better to actually start giving them competition. But really — I'm not qualified for it —but from what it seems, I'd love to work for that team. Seems like a lot of genuinely smart things go on in there. Some actual learning in the workplace environment. |
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