Let's talk Formula 1

[itschris]

I know we have some super fans here, so with the season's historic ending, what are you thoughts? I know that a lot of people have mixed emotions about Vettel, but it's hard not to cheer for the guy and the Red Bull team. I've gone back and forth. For a few years, I just tried not to like Sebastian, but what I love about him and the Red Bull Team is their relentless pursuit of victory. He could have been like a lot of driver and riders in racing who sandbag to protect the championship, but he just went balls out to win everything and I just admire that.

I remember a few years back in AMA Superbike when they asked 6 time world champion Matt Mladin why he rode so hard agains Ben Spies and risked the championship. His respone was that he'd rather crash out trying to win.

I've always watch F1, but this year I just became a rabid fan. I'm planning on attending the Austin race next year and at least one of the historic international circuits... hopefully Spa will be one of them.

I do have one question that you guys can probably clue me in on. The Toro Rosso team is the Red Bull satellite team, but they use Ferrari engines? Why not Renault? Isn't that sort of conflct? Can't Infinity Red Bull gleam intel from their own team regarding the Ferrari engine?

 

[lsiberian]

My college competed in the Formula One college challenge and would test the car outside my apartment. That said F1 tickets were absurd when I looked at them last year.

 

[ImcLoud]

This year was the best in a few for sure, I have noticed a lot more people interested this season for some reason, I am on the fence about Sabastian, the Red Bull Team is a force and they add to the entertainment for sure, he tied Schu for the 13 wins, BUT he is a long way from 91, lol.... My father is already talking about next year, lol thats all I hear Fernando-Farrari, kind of sick of it...

 

[majorloser]

I love F1. The thread I started a few years back went along prety good for awhile. There's not many of us here that follow the races regularly. My favorite racer was Mika Hakkinen. A lot of people just complain that there is no real competition since the reaces are won by the same person, first Shumy and now Vettel. But I have no problem with that. They are simply in a class all by themselves.

My real issue with F1 has been all the rule changes to slow the cars down and make it "more competitive". That's just a pile of crap. Formula 1 should always be the pinniacle of racing technology. Limit overall size, weight, tires and fuel capacity all you want. But leave the engine size and chassis design to the teams. Those with more money and resources will win. The junior teams aren't going to be any worse than they already are.

 

[itschris]

I've come to like Vettel more over the past couple of years. I don't even know why I didn't care so much for him in the past... probably because I've been a Ferrari and Mcalren fan since I was a kid.

I think it's cool to see someone dominate. It's not luck, it's not an accident. He has the best team, with the best cars, and he's probaby one of these best if not "the best" driver. i've really studied his lap times this season. His ability to run lap after lap within one tenth consistency and be able to slow or simply turn it up is remarkable. I saw a video early in the season that showed a split screen from the prior season of Vettel and Weber that showed a quarter second is lost. Say what you want, but Vettel just know how to run the perfect line, not stress the tires, and just get the most of what is already arguably the best machine.

My buddy and I are thinking about doing the Belgium and Germany GP's, but it looks like they're not after each other like this year. I really want to go to SPA and the Nurburgring, but schedule-wise it's just not going to happen. It'll either be Spa and Monza or Silverstone and the Nurburging. There's all kinds of great packages for the international races.

I had planned on Austin this year, but work got in the way... like that's new news. It would have been nice to see a race in V8 era. But at the same time, it'll be cool to see a race in the first year of the new era. I think the Turbo V6 is going to surprise a lot of people.

 

[Nemo128]

I've been an F1 fan for life basically. Reading about the technology, the drivers, watching every interview, just rabid.

For a few years, I just tried not to like Sebastian, but what I love about him and the Red Bull Team is their relentless pursuit of victory. He could have been like a lot of driver and riders in racing who sandbag to protect the championship, but he just went balls out to win everything and I just admire that.

Seb's first year was interesting. Mark Webber had it locked and the same characteristic you like about Vettel is what cost Webber the title that year. Ayrton Senna purposely crashed out just to keep the title from Alain Prost rather than go wheel-to-wheel for 2 hours. It's really a matter of perspective.

first Shumy and now Vettel. But I have no problem with that. They are simply in a class all by themselves.

The difference in funding and technology really made it apparent that Vettel wasn't in a driving league of his own. He was driving a car of a whole other league. Senna drove a middle-park car and still turned in faster laps than the whole grid. Schumi just made everyone look like rank amateurs in many races with an inferior and unreliable car. Vettel has the golden chariot and anyone watching and paying attention to the technolgy knows it. I give him all the credit he deserves for his wins and his records, but to say he's in a league of his own compared to the likes of Kimi, Lewis, Fernando, Webber, I dunno. Even Jensen is a top driver with a crap ride.

This year was the best in a few for sure, I have noticed a lot more people interested this season for some reason, I am on the fence about Sabastian, the Red Bull Team is a force and they add to the entertainment for sure, he tied Schu for the 13 wins, BUT he is a long way from 91, lol.... My father is already talking about next year, lol thats all I hear Fernando-Farrari, kind of sick of it...

Up till the summer break, there was no clear domination and it was anyone's game. Once the summer break wrapped and the tire change came, somehow it made RBRs fly while other cars drove.

I'll give Vettel credit for winning in a field of highly competitive drivers. Me personally, I don't see F1 as simply the pinnacle of motorsports solely from a technology perspective. These are the world's top drivers. Hampering the little teams by allowing larger teams to go balls out in budget is just going to downplay the strength of some truly talented drivers, like we've seen with Nico Hulkenberg and Paul DiResta. It also means paid drivers like Pastor Maldonado get taken seriously when his one fluke of a win in Spain last year was simply that, a fluke.

Also, no one can deny that he stole one win this season. That to me will always be his low point. He didn't need to ignore team orders and screw his teammate. Had Mark decided to battle him, they both could have crashed out and lost all points for that race. I feel bad for Ricciardo, he seems so blissfully ignorant. It'll be a rude awakening when he's got the B squad maintaining his car and he's given the job of testing tire strategies for Vettel rather than racing for his own points.

And Kimi is the man. Leave him alone, he knows what he's doing.

 

[itschris]

Kimi back at Ferrari is goiing to be very interesting. I think Ferrari's pride will drive them through the break to make some meaningful progress. Next season I think the playing field levels quite a bit. It'll be interesting to see if Red Bull can dominate again. Who knows... they could be scrapping near the back like Mclaren and Williams. Who would have ever thought that?

NEMO - Can you answer my original question about Toro Rosso in my first post up top?

 

[Nemo128]

The Toro Rosso team is the Red Bull satellite team, but they use Ferrari engines? Why not Renault? Isn't that sort of conflct? Can't Infinity Red Bull gleam intel from their own team regarding the Ferrari engine?

How STR came to be is interesting, but in theory even though they are the unofficial sister team to RBR they're an independent constructor. That means they can't (legally) share competitor data, like competing engine or chassis specs. Could it happen? Who knows.

 

[itschris]

I'm not sure about the Ricciardo move either. If he had greater stature, I think it'd be different, but I think you're right. I think he'll be a test car.

 

[Nemo128]

I'm not sure about the Ricciardo move either. If he had greater stature, I think it'd be different, but I think you're right. I think he'll be a test car.

One thing that worries me is the way the field is seeming to be split right now with the top teams.

You're going to have arguably the best chassic (RBR) running with a world-class driver and a rookie, both with currently spotty engines (Renault's turbo-V6 is said to be unreliable in testing).

You've got probably the two best overall drivers on the grid (Kimi and Fernando) racing an immature chassis (Ferrari only got their wind tunnel back a couple months ago) and an unreliable engine. They might walk to the Constructors title, if they can hold off Mercedes and unless Ricciardo surprises the hell out of everyone. I don't think any car is going to take someone with an average finish of 13th place (I think it's 13th) and put them in the top 4. RBR could have turned Nico Hulkenberg into a championship contender, he already had speed and consistency with a far less capable car than Toro Rosso had.

And you've got two world-class drivers who've proven they have the speed and consistency (Hamilton and Rosberg) driving the best engine (Mercedes turbo-V6 is supposedly producing more power and behaving more reliably in testing) in a underperforming chassis and they lost what was arguably keeping that team in the form they did show when they did well (losing Ros Brawn is a huge blow to the team whether they want to admit it or not).

Williams could prove to be competitive for the first time in many years. Force India has two(?) strong aggressive drivers that are growing in their race craft (Hulkenberg and arguably Perez) and they've been landing more sponsorship money.

I think the only guarantee is that Caterham and Marussia will continue to be bottom of the grid. Other than that, there are so many factors that can make next season way more interesting than last. I'm excited for next year, it should add some chaos and aggressiveness to the grid.

 

[itschris]

I just read that Mclaren will be meeting with Alonso. That could really change things up.

I still don't see the Ricciardo move. I like the guy, but there were better choices. I think the constructors championship is wide-open. Even if you could keep all things equal, Ricciardi is not going to be a second or third place driver... at least not with consistency. It's going to be interesting.

 

[TheWarrior]

Torro Rosso came to be when Red Bull bought the old Minardi team. In the hierarchy of Red Bull, they are the junior team, grooming up and coming drivers. They use Ferrari motors because they fulfill the contract with Ferrari, that their sister team Red Bull broke at the end of '06.

Going in to next year, its truly anyones game. Its ALL about the constructors next year. I mean think about it. Those headers glow bright red from the heat, and now that they're turbo charging, that incredibly hot exhaust gas is being recirculated to the turbo charger. I expect a number of failures next year as a result, thats an awful lot heat to be sending to a high spinning piece of metal, not sure what kind of lubrication would keep that turbine from seizing!?

And its no longer KERS, no its just ERS. They are collecting energy from the brakes and from the heat of the turbo charger. I believe there will also be new rules on usage too.

I went to Austin again this year, and will for the next 13 years with my PSL. Whether you like Vettel, or any number one driver, if you consider yourself a fan you HAVE to see it live. There is absolutely no mistaking the roar of those motors. And bring ear protection! Trust me, you can still hear and FEEL those motors revving away!

This year however, we stayed in a neighboring city, as Austin's fine accommodations chose to go for absolute rape and jacked their prices HIGHER THAN MONACO. How about $600 A NIGHT for a Motel 6 by the freeway? This was the same location we stayed at last year for less than a third of that.

Yes tickets, or at least good tickets, are expensive. But so is F1. You want to see the spectacle of over a Billion dollars in engineering, you gotta pay for it.

And there was a comment about limiting costs to the teams. I hear ya loud and clear that F1 is the top dog, technologically advanced and experimental. But when Ferrari was capping out OVER $600 Million a YEAR with Schumacher, there's no way the junior/private teams can compete. Yes, Red Bull has largely been walking away with the championships, but the motor is shared by other teams, it comes down to chasis (Adrian Newey has brought championships to every team he has worked for, certified GENIUS) and driver and strategy. You'll never see the wheel to wheel racing you do elsewhere, these cars are just too fast for that. And if I can get my files converted, I can upload some videos of Ferrari Challenge, Historic F1, and current F1 from my vantage at T15 just to see the difference in speed. Its incredible. Im sure theres a million videos on youtube for this as well.

As a tip, my dad and I had stopped giving each other birthday and Xmas gifts a number of years ago, and put money in to the 'Formula One Fund' as we wanted to go to Belgium. Beer, Blondes, and Waffles, what more could you ask for!? And then Austin opened, and we decided we could get a lot more for our money by buying seat licenses and attending Austin regularly, rather than international flights, accommodations etc. Still gonna go to Spa, maybe 2016, but yeah. GO SEE F1 GUYS!!!!

 

[j_garcia]

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/steam-vent/30691-un-official-formula-1-thread.html

 

[itschris]

i'm pretty much set on going to SPA and Circuit of the America's next year. I can't wait.

If you guys haven't seen this, it gives a little insight to the sound of the new engines. I'm sure it'll change by the final design but it's definately different. Better and worse. But change is okay.
Ferrari testing 2014 Turbo V6 F1 Engine on a LaFerrari chassis in Fiorano! - YouTube