2018 Australian GP Thread

[steveaki13]

Hi Guys.

Sorry I have not been around the forum much recently. Life has gotten busier and a lot more fun.

Anyway I have been glancing at the testing form and am now ready for the start of another season.

It kind of feels to me this could be a turning point for F1. If Mercedes dominate again what will happen going forward?

Anyway Australia is less than a week away so lets get chatting.

I am hoping myself for a chaotic GP to really mix things up early. Highly unlikely these days but it will be interesting to see if Ferrari can challenge the Mercs here.

[andyone]

Hi Guys.

Sorry I have not been around the forum much recently. Life has gotten busier and a lot more fun.

Anyway I have been glancing at the testing form and am now ready for the start of another season.

It kind of feels to me this could be a turning point for F1. If Mercedes dominate again what will happen going forward?

Anyway Australia is less than a week away so lets get chatting.

I am hoping myself for a chaotic GP to really mix things up early. Highly unlikely these days but it will be interesting to see if Ferrari can challenge the Mercs here.

lets hope so. even though i will say they are not dominant since last yea they were just a Strong Team. but still they will be strong and maybe be very strong against the others.

[airshifter]

I'm ready for the race. Though I'm usually not a big fan of the track, getting that first glimpse of the new cars is worth the wait. I'm really hoping Ferrari and RB can challenge the Mercedes cars this year. I really want one of those seasons when at least 2-3 different car and driver combinations could easily turn things around and take a title.

It's probably wishful thinking. I abandoned the Ferrari ship on my FGP team, but with regret. I'd really enjoy if Ferrari or RB brings a real challenge and my FGP team struggles.

[The Black Knight]

Horner came out and said he believes RBR have the best chassis on the grid before FP1. I’ve warmed to Horner over the years but when he says this kind of thing having only tested in Barcelona and no real qualifying or race comparison then it just makes him look like an idiot. They couldn’t build the best chassis last year so ease off on patting your own back until a couple races in.

That aside, Mercedes looking strong but they haven’t hit the play button on their Mercedes yet for extra power. RBR will probably qualify 5th and 6th but a bad start for Danny given his 3 place grid penalty already.

On race pace RBR and Mercedes seem to be identical. I really feel Ferrari and Mercedes haven’t shown their hand yet. Can’t wait for FP3 and qualifying.

[Nitrodaze]

Horner came out and said he believes RBR have the best chassis on the grid before FP1. I’ve warmed to Horner over the years but when he says this kind of thing having only tested in Barcelona and no real qualifying or race comparison then it just makes him look like an idiot. They couldn’t build the best chassis last year so ease off on patting your own back until a couple races in.

That aside, Mercedes looking strong but they haven’t hit the play button on their Mercedes yet for extra power. RBR will probably qualify 5th and 6th but a bad start for Danny given his 3 place grid penalty already.

On race pace RBR and Mercedes seem to be identical. I really feel Ferrari and Mercedes haven’t shown their hand yet. Can’t wait for FP3 and qualifying.


I think the mind games have started early thats all. Mercedes did not look worried in FP1 and FP2. The gloves come off in FP3 and quali, then we would have the first glimpse of where everybody really are. But it is looking good that the top three are close enough for it to feel snug at the sharp end of the grid.

[A FONDO]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DY8IwPyWsAEsQHL.jpg

[Big Ben]

I'm trying not to be superficial but I don't know if I can get past that halo

[Tazio]

halo blows :rolleyes:

[Tazio]

Quali dawgz! :dog:

[A FONDO]

I'm trying not to be superficial but I don't know if I can get past that halo

You can't, it's titanium, bulletproof :D

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DY8ESYDXUAAaiLk.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DY77f4sXcAIib91.jpg

[A FONDO]

!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZCHo98WkAEHD_t.jpg

[Rollo]

https://images.cdn.circlesix.co/image/2/1200/630/5/uploads/posts/2018/02/f4c52bed3dddb578294a116f73766c6f.png

It's fine.

Nobody complains about the a-pillar in their regular road car.

I've heard nobody complain about this:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/paYmC6uTVzo/maxresdefault.jpg

[N4D13]

Bottas crashes out of Q3 and that's one life saved by the halo.

[truefan72]

Bottas!!
smh. Ugh

[truefan72]

Not only was mercedes a lock for 2 cars in the top 5 but now the crew have to rebuild that car all night. An auspicious start to the 2018 year for the finn. But at least there is the race and an opportunity to redeem himself.

[truefan72]

Man that is damn close. Hamilton vettel verstappen. Anyone can take pole

[truefan72]

Whoooo!
Oh my....what a lap! Haha
And kudos to kimi p2
Magnussen starts 5th
Stellar by Haas.

[Tazio]

Terrific lap by The Boss. He looks mighty!

[pino]

Looks like, we’re going have another season dominate by Lewis and the Mercs...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jens]

Looking at the qualifying results.

Meh, can't get excited about this season at all. Will probably skip many races this year.

Mercedes the best, as usual.
Ferrari and Red Bull behind, as usual.
And then big gap and the rest of midfielders, as usual.

Yawn.
F1 has badly stagnated. And halo doesn't help.

[N4D13]

On a different note, am I the only one who doesn't care about the halo? Yeah, it looks weird, but I can see the drivers just fine with it and I don't really think that they're THAT bad.

[Bagwan]

Does anyone actually believe Lewis when he says it was a tough qualifying ?
Does anyone actually believe him when he says that any other team is close ?

Seeing him in the post-qually , locker room interview , you'd think he'd just had an "out of body" experience .
Acting is not his forte .

[N4D13]

Does anyone actually believe Lewis when he says it was a tough qualifying ?
Does anyone actually believe him when he says that any other team is close ?

Seeing him in the post-qually , locker room interview , you'd think he'd just had an "out of body" experience .
Acting is not his forte .
Well, at this day and age, most drivers are just PR machines, aren't they? On top of that, you don't do yourself, your team or the sport any favors by saying that they're all rubbish and that you had this completely under control at all times.

[AndyL]

Nobody complains about the a-pillar in their regular road car.

Well, nobody except the cyclists and motorcyclists who get SMIDSYed at junctions because of how huge the A pillars are on cars now.

[The Black Knight]

I don’t mind the Halo. It is here to stay so we may as well accept it.

I see Ricciardo is belittling Hamilton’s pole lap saying any top driver could take pole in a Mercedes, meanwhile he can’t even out-qualify his own teammate. Those 5 wins and a pole have really gone to his head. I’d love for him to go to Mercedes next year just so Hamilton could out him in his place.

Other than that, all I can say about Hamilton’s lap is WOW. Incredible performance, and one of the best laps I’ve ever seen him drive.

Bottas - disaster - one more of those and I doubt he’ll have any contract renewal.

Vettel - not seemed comfortable with the car but should really be out qualifying Kimi.

Kimi - good performance.

Max - felt he could have been on the front row but it didn’t happen - am sure it will soon though. His first pole is definitely coming.

[Bagwan]

Well, at this day and age, most drivers are just PR machines, aren't they? On top of that, you don't do yourself, your team or the sport any favors by saying that they're all rubbish and that you had this completely under control at all times.

I'll give you that he had a good lap , even excellent , but when other times he would be frothing over the team's effort to give him the best car , he was talking about his amazing lap , and the speed of the Ferrari car making him sweat .
It just didn't read like a normal interview , but rather , a guy trying to play down the actual speed of the car , and maybe that was the game here .
It looked like he was trying to throw sandbags into the car after it had just run six tenths faster than all the rest .

I guess you could be right about not doing the sport any good by rubbishing the rest , but to me , it looked as though he was almost embarrassed to be so far ahead , playing up his talent and getting misty about hoping he still had it .

Maybe he's a singer , but he's no actor .

[Tazio]

Baggie.... Here is how I read this reaction by The Boss; he came up, and drove when qualifying on the front row wasn't the advantage that it is since they discontinued refueling. Many times Mike would start heavy and pass in the pits after the front row pitted, giving him fresh air and the car to make up the difference. He needs the glory now, and if he gets a poor get a way he will really be on the back foot with Kimi and Seb starting on the harder compound. The racing has become a bit perverse IMHO, and I have to say I liked F1 much more when their was fuel strategy. Maybe I'm being a little harsh. Let's see how the race plays out!

Edit: Red Bull ran supersoft in q2 not Ferrari. :o

[Bagwan]

Baggie.... Here is how I read this reaction by The Boss; he came up, and drove when qualifying on the front row wasn't the advantage that it is since they discontinued refueling. Many times Mike would start heavy and pass in the pits after the front row pitted, giving him fresh air and the car to make up the difference. He needs the glory now, and if he gets a poor get a way he will really be on the back foot with Kimi and Seb starting on the harder compound. The racing has become a bit perverse IMHO, and I have to say I liked F1 much more when their was fuel strategy. Maybe I'm being a little harsh. Let's see how the race plays out!

Damn , I hope you're right Tazzy , my man , because it looked like he'd shown too much of their hand by going that fast .
I hope they aren't as fast as he looked .

[Tazio]

Damn , I hope you're right Tazzy , my man , because it looked like he'd shown too much of their hand by going that fast .
I hope they aren't as fast as he looked .
Sorry Baggie I misunderstood your point. I took your point to he that Lewis was taking credit that the team (car) deserved. He is fast, and the car is the fastest. By how much is still yet to be determined .
Sorry! :angel:

[journeyman racer]

The MB is superior than Hamilton.

I'd love to see a situation where Ricciardo is in the current mb, and Hamilton in the current RB. Hamilton can get back to the heady days of 2010-13 and not doing better than 4th despite driving a top 2 car.

[journeyman racer]

On another note. That's a doozy of a beginner's error from Bottas. He has to make the most of every session in that car. If he qualifies 2nd or 3rd, it ok. But at 10th, he compromises what MB want to do for the race.

[journeyman racer]

Having just read Tazio's post. How on earth can anyone like refuelling? It's fake.

[Tazio]

Having just read Tazio's post. How on earth can anyone like refuelling? It's fake.
I enjoyed the additional layer of strategy!

[The Black Knight]

I enjoyed the additional layer of strategy!

Agreed! I used to love that you never knew the fuel load of any team so a guy losing ten seconds in one stint did not necessarily mean game over. I’ve still feel that since we’ve lost refuelling we’ve lost a really exciting part of the sport. I don’t think we’ll see a race like Hungary 98 again.

[journeyman racer]

Hungary. A race influenced by the guys in the pits, as opposed to the driver's intuition.

While you may not have known the fuel load to the ounce. We all knew the script based on form.

Mandatory pirstops of all kinds discourage even attempting to pass. No surprise that some of you liked it.

[pino]

Morning everyone! :D


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

[steveaki13]

Race time dudes. :)

[steveaki13]

Morning everyone! :D


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

and these days when you are tired of F1 you probably enjoy other motorsports :p

[Koz]

Here we go!

[pino]

and these days when you are tired of F1 you probably enjoy other motorsports :p

Hahahaha :D


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

[steveaki13]

well opinions so far?

[steveaki13]

Opps Max round and Bottas still down in 13th.

Haas doing a remarkable job. 4th & 5th where has that pace come from?

[longisland]

The Renault power unit is substantially underpowered. The Red Bull’s can’t even pass the Haas.

[steveaki13]

Is that a Honda engine exploding? Oh my.......:smash:

[pino]

Come on Kimi, go and get The Boss !!!


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

[pino]

Great start by Magnussen, and Danish commentators are getting crazy !!! :p


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

[pino]

...and he’s out already (suspension failure) :s


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

[truefan72]

Noooooo!
Shambolic Haas pit crew. So sad for Magnussen. SMH
There goes p4...come on grosjean. Its up to you!

[steveaki13]

Both Haas out :(

[pino]

Both Haas out !!!


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

[truefan72]

Pathetic haas. Just pathetic
And now it has cost Hamilton p1

[truefan72]

Ridiculous by fia. Now a full safety car.
Haas. Just as ridiculous

[longisland]

I bet Mercedes are furious now. Vettel just stole Hamilton’s P1 under yellow. It’s a cheeky move but seriously, FIA needs to close this loop hole.

[truefan72]

I think verstappen has to give that position to alonso. He clearly accelareted ib merging in and not keeping to the vsc delta.

[Tazio]

Too bad (stupid) about Haas, but it has brought the race alive!

[truefan72]

On replay it looks like vettel also accelerated. Hmm

[truefan72]

Ok officially hating the espn race coverage. I see alonso got his spot back.

[truefan72]

Tazio. Thoughts on espn coverage?

[Tazio]

Tazio. Thoughts on espn coverage?Same as nbc (my expectations were low) I don't sweat the commercials I just switch to Univision Deportes which is commercial free!

[journeyman racer]

In hindsight, I reckon Bottas has cost himself a win with the crash yesterday. This is where MB have to rip into him in the debrief.

[N4D13]

In hindsight, I reckon Bottas has cost himself a win with the crash yesterday. This is where MB have to rip into him in the debrief.
After the Rosberg experience, Merc have decided to stay with a lame No. 2 driver. I wouldn't be surprised if this decision caused them to lose the WCC or at least make Ferrari give them much more of a run for their money.

[steveaki13]

Sad thing about this is. You know Hamilton has no chance to pass. Top cars dont get to go wheel to wheel these days

[N4D13]

Sad thing about this is. You know Hamilton has no chance to pass. Top cars dont get to go wheel to wheel these days
Mind you, not just the top cars. Verstappen can't overtake a car which is a whole second a lap slower either. And Bottas is also having a hard time with the Hulk despite the obvious engine advantage.

[steveaki13]

Mind you, not just the top cars. Verstappen can't overtake a car which is a whole second a lap slower either. And Bottas is also having a hard time with the Hulk despite the obvious engine advantage.

F1 is too predictable and professional now. Years back some weeks cars that finished 3rd might finish 19th and added to the mix. Plus only 6 might finish. You were on edge til the end.

[truefan72]

Oh well. Vettel got lucky thanks to pathetic haas. Hamilton was the faster driver today but the vsc just played into vettels hands and he gets an undeserved victory.

[N4D13]

Fun fact: if the race finishes like this, McLaren will match in just one race their best results from the Honda period: 5th and 9th in Hungary 2015, Monaco 2016 and US 2016. And Alo was confident that this would be the lowest point of the season for them when it came to car performance.

[pino]

Well done Ferrari !!!!!


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

[pino]

And finally, a great result for Alonso too !


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

[N4D13]

Why is Vettel's hair shaped like an ashtray?

[pino]

Why is Vettel's hair shaped like an ashtray?

Aereo dynamics ! ;)


When you’re tired of rallying, you’re tired of life...

[The Black Knight]

Oh well, a bit of bad luck today with the VSC for Mercedes. Pitting under the safety car is probably a loop hole that needs closing. Hamilton won the Spanish GP last year because of the VSC so what goes around comes around. Mercedes should have maybe notified Hamilton that Vettel was in case he had any extra pace under his safety car markers. Either way, that’s the way the dice roll sometimes. There will be other days and Mercedes clearly seem to have the best package from what we’ve seen so far.

Kimi dropped way behind Hamilton and Vettel afterward, he’s not able to keep up with Ham and Vet when they put the foot down.

Roll on BIC!

[Big Ben]

Why is Vettel's hair shaped like an ashtray?

He had his hair cut in the car

[steveaki13]

Anyone else really feel F1 is very sterile now? So much talking about the regs, money saving, strategy, penalties and radio conversations?

What happened to pushing a car to breaking point? To driving on the ragged edge and risking spinning or crashing? Cars blowing up and the uncertainty that a car may not make the end? Too wheel to wheel racing? To battling on track without a free DRS pass? To the art of defending and to only 6 cars finishing some races

All that added together made F1 enjoyable, unpredictable. The line up changed most seasons, dramatically sometimes. We seem to have almost no motor racing anymore. Or not what I recognise as car racing anyway. Men/women & cars at risk of mistakes and failures/accidents. That is what adds to drama for me.

While I hate seeing injuries, it has to be said motorsports rush is the risk and danger as well. That appears less evident now. Run offs the size of car parks at some circuits too.

Sorry just feel angry right now.

[zako85]

Oh well, a bit of bad luck today with the VSC for Mercedes. Pitting under the safety car is probably a loop hole that needs closing.

Pitting under the VSC or SC is exactly what makes racing and the racing strategy more interesting. Yes, this gives good or bad luck, just like the engine failures or pit crew errors. What we do need in Formula 1 is VSC and SC being used very sparingly. On the opposite side of the spectrum is IndyCar, where a race can have something like seven safety car cautions per race, on a road or street course, which constantly erases the leaders advantage and turns the whole race into a farce, like it happened with IndyCar's first race of 2018.

[zako85]

I bet Mercedes are furious now. Vettel just stole Hamilton’s P1 under yellow. It’s a cheeky move but seriously, FIA needs to close this loop hole.

That's not a loophole. That's racing, in most other motorsports too.

[zako85]

Tazio. Thoughts on espn coverage?


I am not Tazio, but espn's coverage was so sleep inducing that I switched to Univision Deportes and didn't regret it. (Gladly, I took a bunch of Spanish language courses in high school)

[The Black Knight]

Pitting under the VSC or SC is exactly what makes racing and the racing strategy more interesting. Yes, this gives good or bad luck, just like the engine failures or pit crew errors. What we do need in Formula 1 is VSC and SC being used very sparingly. On the opposite side of the spectrum is IndyCar, where a race can have something like seven safety car cautions per race, on a road or street course, which constantly erases the leaders advantage and turns the whole race into a farce, like it happened with IndyCar's first race of 2018.

For SC I agree with pitting otherwise if you need to pit just after the SC you’ll be at the back of the pack.

For VSC it’s meant to neutralise the race, it’s not meant that some driver should be gaining an advantage from it. Neutralise. That’s the whole point of VSC. I agree with pitting during SC not during VSC.

Something thay needs addressing under SC is the lapped cars unlapping themselves rule. SC worked fine for years without it. There’s no need for it.

[Nitrodaze]

What can we say about the season from what we have seen today? Firstly, the Ferrari is quick enough to fight for the championship this year. But Mercedes clearly have the edge. Mclaren is better than testing suggested. But Haas is clearly ahead of Mclaren, shame they threw it away when it really mattered. Redbull is as quick as the Ferrari, the Haas did a service for Ferrari today. The Haas getting ahead of the Redbull of Verstapenn at the start and Ricciado starting out of position really gave Ferrari a breathing space to take the fight to Mercedes.

Haas is the star of the midfield, a real shame they threw it away today. The Renault turn out not to be ahead of the Mclaren. The order behind the Redbull seem to be Haas, Mclaren then Renault.

Honda turned out to be disappointing under race conditions. One could say Mclaren made the right decision after all. Williams seem to be in a worst position than l expected. The car finished behind the Sauber, and driver wise, Sirotkin did not impress which really brings to question William's choice of driver when they had the choice of picking Wehrlien or Kyvat, both of which would have performed better than Stroll. The Sauber may surprise this season. Chances are that they may jump in front of the Williams. Leclerc really impressed.

Bottas had a bad start to his season. I can't see him in the Mercedes in 2019 at this point. It is a long season, so he has plenty of opportunity to recover and impress.

[henners88]

Anyone else really feel F1 is very sterile now? So much talking about the regs, money saving, strategy, penalties and radio conversations?

What happened to pushing a car to breaking point? To driving on the ragged edge and risking spinning or crashing? Cars blowing up and the uncertainty that a car may not make the end? Too wheel to wheel racing? To battling on track without a free DRS pass? To the art of defending and to only 6 cars finishing some races

All that added together made F1 enjoyable, unpredictable. The line up changed most seasons, dramatically sometimes. We seem to have almost no motor racing anymore. Or not what I recognise as car racing anyway. Men/women & cars at risk of mistakes and failures/accidents. That is what adds to drama for me.

While I hate seeing injuries, it has to be said motorsports rush is the risk and danger as well. That appears less evident now. Run offs the size of car parks at some circuits too.

Sorry just feel angry right now.

You’ve summed up many of the reasons I no longer watch Formula 1. I always thought I’d never not watch it but life gets busier and the sport makes it’s easier not to miss it. Boring regs, one team domination, and limited TV coverage which after this season will disappear from FTA altogether. I’m glad I stopped watching properly in 2015. Remember the glory years and the nostalgia I say lol.

F1 RIP

1950 - 2008 :p



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Nitrodaze]

You’ve summed up many of the reasons I no longer watch Formula 1. I always thought I’d never not watch it but life gets busier and the sport makes it’s easier not to miss it. Boring regs, one team domination, and limited TV coverage which after this season will disappear from FTA altogether. I’m glad I stopped watching properly in 2015. Remember the glory years and the nostalgia I say lol.

F1 RIP

1950 - 2008 :p



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Melborne track is historically a race where overtaking is difficult. Track position is so important like in Monaco. Hence, it is not a fair track to judge F1 by. But l understand the frustration. But l would say judge by mid season. I think this season is going to be a real cracker with lots twists and turns. So l would say hang in there for abit longer.

[henners88]

Melborne track is historically a race where overtaking is difficult. Track position is so important like in Monaco. Hence, it is not a fair track to judge F1 by. But l understand the frustration. But l would say judge by mid season. I think this season is going to be a real cracker with lots twist and turns. So l would say hang in there for abit longer.

In all honesty I just don’t get time to dedicate it any more. With two kids I find weekends are busy enough as it is and watching TV during the day is just not possible for me. I have recorded races but then never get round to watching them and end up reading an article on the BBC instead. I think in the last three seasons I’ve watched three races overall so I’ve pretty much dropped off the edge of even being classed as a fan anymore.

Enjoy it though guys, it’s 10 years since I joined this forum and we had some great debates over the years. I’m less qualified to argue these days lol :)


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[steveaki13]

Melborne track is historically a race where overtaking is difficult. Track position is so important like in Monaco. Hence, it is not a fair track to judge F1 by. But l understand the frustration. But l would say judge by mid season. I think this season is going to be a real cracker with lots twists and turns. So l would say hang in there for abit longer.

I am not judging F1 by this race but by the last 10 years on the whole. Look at the 2002 & 2003 races at Melbourne as examples. Chaos in 2002 and a bizarre but exciting 7 cars finish seeing Minardi get points. 2003 was crackers too. I never see a race I enjoy as much as those two. Even though they were not the best races ever.

[steveaki13]

In all honesty I just don’t get time to dedicate it any more. With two kids I find weekends are busy enough as it is and watching TV during the day is just not possible for me. I have recorded races but then never get round to watching them and end up reading an article on the BBC instead. I think in the last three seasons I’ve watched three races overall so I’ve pretty much dropped off the edge of even being classed as a fan anymore.

Enjoy it though guys, it’s 10 years since I joined this forum and we had some great debates over the years. I’m less qualified to argue these days lol :)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Yep.

By the way Hi Henners. :beer::wave:

[Nitrodaze]

I am not judging F1 by this race but by the last 10 years on the whole. Look at the 2002 & 2003 races at Melbourne as examples. Chaos in 2002 and a bizarre but exciting 7 cars finish seeing Minardi get points. 2003 was crackers too. I never see a race I enjoy as much as those two. Even though they were not the best races ever.

Well most fans have gone through a reset to give the new owners a chance to redefine the formula. Hence it is not fair under the circumstances to judge F1 by the last 10 years when it [F1] is looking forward to the next 10 years. Liberty has shown signs of having some good ideas to rejuvenate F1. If you want to judge F1 in general, you would need to wait till 2022 to be in good position to say whether the formula has lost the plot or not.

I think this season is going to be one of the best for some time. Is this going to be a grreat season, potentially yes l think. Is F1 worst than ever, l would say NO also. Cars are faster, as fast as the big three liters of the Schumacher era. Is overtaking as good as that era, yes and even better. Is the show worst than for the Schumacher era, definitely much better than any race ever. So l don't understand the complaints really.

[N4D13]

Well most fans have gone through a reset to give the new owners a chance to redefine the formula. Hence it is not fair under the circumstances to judge F1 by the last 10 years when it [F1] is looking forward to the next 10 years. Liberty has shown signs of having some good ideas to rejuvenate F1. If you want to judge F1 in general, you would need to wait till 2022 to be in good position to say whether the formula has lost the plot or not.

I think this season is going to be one of the best for some time. Is this going to be a grreat season, potentially yes l think. Is F1 worst than ever, l would say NO also. Cars are faster, as fast as the big three liters of the Schumacher era. Is overtaking as good as that era, yes and even better. Is the show worst than for the Schumacher era, definitely much better than any race ever. So l don't understand the complaints really.
Keep in mind that it's extremely common to look at the past with only your rose-tinted glasses. For instance, many would criticize the fact that drivers have to nurse their tyres and their cars rather than going flat-out for the whole race... as if this wasn't a thing in the good old days without tyre changes and with their steel brake discs.

Of course there is something that has changed drastically, and that is reliability, but that is something that is never coming back and it's pointless to keep looking at some idealized picture of the past and compare it to what we have right now.

That doesn't mean we don't get to criticize what is wrong about current F1 (i.e., too much reliance on aero and too many marbles off-line mean that overtaking is difficult), but let's not automatically assume that every past time was better.

[truefan72]

For VSC it’s meant to neutralise the race, it’s not meant that some driver should be gaining an advantage from it. Neutralise. That’s the whole point of VSC. I agree with pitting during SC not during VSC.

My point exactly. the situation of pitting under the VSC needs to be adjusted. Of all places, why are you allowed to gain an advantage pitting under those conditions?

[Nitrodaze]

My point exactly. the situation of pitting under the VSC needs to be adjusted. Of all places, why are you allowed to gain an advantage pitting under those conditions?

Not only that, why should cars in the pit be allowed to reach racing speed going into the lower speed of VSC on track. VSC should include the pitlane as well. That would properly neutralize the race. You cannot say the race is neutralized if people can drive above VSC speed in the pitlane.

[Duncan]

Kind of a dull race overall, but a few interesting things going on...

Shame that the race was essentially gifted to Vettel through a combination of VSC and SC. If they'd just called out the SC right away, I don't think that would have worked; by keeping all the gaps the same but still getting the boost to relative delta in the pitstop itself, it made it an easy leapfrog. Still, if Bottas had been up front with Hamilton, Ferrari wouldn't have been able to force Mercedes to try to cover two different strategies.

Probably the big takeaway for me is that the particular setup of that track makes overtaking especially hard for cars with this particular set of aero regs. All the way up and down the order, slower cars were able to hold up faster cars and it really looked like any time a chasing car got close they just lost all of the grip. Hamilton seemed to have a lot more pace than Vettel in that last stint, but every time he got within a second or two he was struggling to keep the car on the road. Same with Bottas, and also Alonso keeping the faster Ricciardo at bay for a good number of laps. This was exactly what happened at Melbourne last year IIRC.

Looking forward to seeing some racing on other tracks that don't seem to induce this quite so much. Early days, but I think Hamilton has to be favorite for WDC again this year.

[airshifter]

Really nothing new to see here this year. The track is so easy to defend on that any slower car that gets in front through qually or traffic/accident situations usually stays in front for quite some time. The track itself I can enjoy, but with a lack of real passing opportunities it will never be a favorite of mine.

The VSC/SC situation was a strange one, but hopefully they still close that loophole so it doesn't happen any more in the future. If they don't close the loophole we could well end up with races where the drivers all dive into the pits so as to not allow an advantage.

Sucks to be Haas. I suspect some heads will be rolling. One mistake is bad enough, but two in a row?

[Rollo]

Why is Vettel's hair shaped like an ashtray?

I have a feeling that this is the opening to a Dad Joke.

[truefan72]

Not only that, why should cars in the pit be allowed to reach racing speed going into the lower speed of VSC on track. VSC should include the pitlane as well. That would properly neutralize the race. You cannot say the race is neutralized if people can drive above VSC speed in the pitlane.

yup. Both Hamilton and kimi completely lost out to Vettel. They were cruising to a 1-2 finish before the VSC
Unless you are already in the pits then the pit lane should be closed during the VSC for the first 2 laps of the period.
Also whilst entering and exiting the pitlane, one should be held to a certain speed below the normal pitlane speed to further neutralize the field.
there...problem solved

[journeyman racer]

As far as the track goes. If you extend the run along the lake an extra 50m and square off t11&12, make it a hard left and right, I think that could create a passing opportunity for both t11 & 13.

To help, the t9&10 coming onto the lake? I'd used the inside of t9 and make them turn in earlier, and make it a hard right, hard left, hard right onto the lake.

Then further back. I'd even remove the t6&7 chicane, and make it a long run from t5 to T8. Sometimes it gets fraught at T3&4 where there's hard braking and criss crossing, but that is lost once they get to t6, so the run through T8 is straightforward.

[zako85]

What can we say about the season from what we have seen today? ....




What's really troubling is that we haven't seen any significant overtakes on track. I just hope this is because of the Australian GP configuration and not a sign of things to come.

[zako85]

For SC I agree with pitting otherwise if you need to pit just after the SC you’ll be at the back of the pack.

For VSC it’s meant to neutralise the race, it’s not meant that some driver should be gaining an advantage from it. Neutralise. That’s the whole point of VSC. I agree with pitting during SC not during VSC.

Something thay needs addressing under SC is the lapped cars unlapping themselves rule. SC worked fine for years without it. There’s no need for it.

I see, your points make sense.

[onemanband]

What's really troubling is that we haven't seen any significant overtakes on track. I just hope this is because of the Australian GP configuration and not a sign of things to come.

I think there are 2 reasons to it:
1. Like you said, the configuration of the Albert Park circuit. Notoriously difficult to overtake. I think this year's race had more overtakes than last year's although it had 1 extra DRS zone.

2. The midfield is strongest it has been in ages. Renault, Mclaren and Haas battling it out for 4th in the WCC will most likely be the theme of the season. Altough none of them are legitimate podium contenders on pace, they will be hard overtakes for leaders having to come through the field.

[Nitrodaze]

I think there are 2 reasons to it:
1. Like you said, the configuration of the Albert Park circuit. Notoriously difficult to overtake. I think this year's race had more overtakes than last year's although it had 1 extra DRS zone.

2. The midfield is strongest it has been in ages. Renault, Mclaren and Haas battling it out for 4th in the WCC will most likely be the theme of the season. Altough none of them are legitimate podium contenders on pace, they will be hard overtakes for leaders having to come through the field.

Now that is an interesting point. Cars typically in the sharp end that find themselves demoted to positions behind these trio; Haas, Mclaren and Renault may find it alot more difficult to pass them for positions this year. Especially the mercs which are notoriously poor in the wake of faster midfield cars.

[journeyman racer]

I see Ricciardo is belittling Hamilton’s pole lap saying any top driver could take pole in a Mercedes, meanwhile he can’t even out-qualify his own teammate. Those 5 wins and a pole have really gone to his head. I’d love for him to go to Mercedes next year just so Hamilton could out him in his place.
.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo moves forward through the field to 4th place, beating his team mate, and putting in a spirited drive challenging Raikkonen for a podium til the end.

At the same time. Hamilton, driving the fastest car in the field, raised the white flag when things got all too hard for him. So much so that Vettel could afford an error and still not lose the lead.

After all, a true champion never gives up and fights to the end.

MB≥Hamilton.

Relative to the cars they drove, Ricciardo was better than Hamilton in 14, 16 & 17 seasons. If they were driving for MB, Hamilton would indeed put Ricciardo in his place.

That being 1st place.

[truefan72]

Meanwhile, Ricciardo moves forward through the field to 4th place, beating his team mate, and putting in a spirited drive challenging Raikkonen for a podium til the end.

At the same time. Hamilton, driving the fastest car in the field, raised the white flag when things got all too hard for him. So much so that Vettel could afford an error and still not lose the lead.

After all, a true champion never gives up and fights to the end.

MB≥Hamilton.

Relative to the cars they drove, Ricciardo was better than Hamilton in 14, 16 & 17 seasons. If they were driving for MB, Hamilton would indeed put Ricciardo in his place.

That being 1st place.

I am glad you posted this.
It's good to wake up and have a laugh.
smh

[Nitrodaze]

Meanwhile, Ricciardo moves forward through the field to 4th place, beating his team mate, and putting in a spirited drive challenging Raikkonen for a podium til the end.

At the same time. Hamilton, driving the fastest car in the field, raised the white flag when things got all too hard for him. So much so that Vettel could afford an error and still not lose the lead.

After all, a true champion never gives up and fights to the end.

MB≥Hamilton.

Relative to the cars they drove, Ricciardo was better than Hamilton in 14, 16 & 17 seasons. If they were driving for MB, Hamilton would indeed put Ricciardo in his place.

That being 1st place.

LOL

We have to make allowances for the fact that u r Australian. Ricciado is not in the same league as Hamilton. Especially if he is unable to overcome young Verstapenn. That said, l rate him above Bottas, hence, he would be a great replacement for Bottas at Mercedes.

Of the two Redbull drivers, Hamilton sees Verstapenn as the threat of the two when it comes to the championship. It goes to show that Hamilton do not see him as a driver that would bother him in the second Mercedes.

[Duncan]

I think there are 2 reasons to it:
1. Like you said, the configuration of the Albert Park circuit. Notoriously difficult to overtake. I think this year's race had more overtakes than last year's although it had 1 extra DRS zone.

Yes, I think Albert Park is just an incredibly hard circuit to overtake on with the current aero configuration. I think it suffers from the same problem as Abu Dhabi: every long straight is immediately preceded by a multi-apex corner complex. Each of the three DRS zoned straights is preceded by a combo (tuns 1 & 2, turns 9 & 10, and turns 15 & 16 respectively). If you're close enough to set up for an overtake down any of those straights, you have no downforce going through the corresponding corner complex right before it. What we saw, as for last season's race at Abu Dhabi, is the chasing car always sliding around and struggling to stay on track when setting up for an overtake.

[journeyman racer]

I am glad you posted this.
It's good to wake up and have a laugh.
smh

I would be smh if I were you. You're in your 40s, and are a Hamilton fanboy with no objectivity in your opinions at all. Thats embarrassing. At least TBK is still a teenager, so it's understandable for him to be like that.

[journeyman racer]

LOL

We have to make allowances for the fact that u r Australian. Ricciado is not in the same league as Hamilton. Especially if he is unable to overcome young Verstapenn. That said, l rate him above Bottas, hence, he would be a great replacement for Bottas at Mercedes.

Of the two Redbull drivers, Hamilton sees Verstapenn as the threat of the two when it comes to the championship. It goes to show that Hamilton do not see him as a driver that would bother him in the second Mercedes.

Nitrodaze. I've already had exchanges with you. You're not a particularly good judge of motor racing. But that's ok, as it's a forum and nothing is on the line.

The only thing Ricciardo lacks relative to Hamilton is the experience in a championship contender, which is a different situation than just driving a car.. Otherwise, they're definitely in the same league.

For example. Ricciardo has finished 3rd in the 14&16 seasons, driving a car that was 2nd the wcc. In 2010&11, when McLaren were 2nd in the wcc, Hamilton finished 4th &5th. McLaren did finish 2nd in both 07&08, but that was due to the off track trouble McLaren had in 07, and Kovalainen producing results well below par. Otherwise it was the best car in the field.

As far as overcoming Verstappen. Ricciardo had the disadvantage of starting 4 places behind Verstappen, and finished 2 places and 20secs ahead of him in the race. This would suggest that he's able to overcome Verstappen. You can throw in setting the fastest lap as well.

These factors, on top of having a reputation as the best passer, suggests Ricciardo is in the same league as Hamilton.

In 2018, Ricciardo is entering his 7the full season of F1. Hamilton is entering his 7th full year with the best car in the field.

You'd have to be a very poor judge of motor racing to not recognise Ricciardo's quality. You are such a poor judge.

[N4D13]

I don't think Ricciardo is quite on the same level as Hamilton, but I do believe he is an exceptionally talented racer and one who could snatch a WDC or two from him as Rosberg did. Let us remember that this is the guy who handed Vettel's backside over to him on a plate. So even if he's not GoaT material as Hamilton or Alonso are, he's not your No. 2 driver either, but someone fully worthy of a WDC crown.

[airshifter]

I don't think Ricciardo is quite on the same level as Hamilton, but I do believe he is an exceptionally talented racer and one who could snatch a WDC or two from him as Rosberg did. Let us remember that this is the guy who handed Vettel's backside over to him on a plate. So even if he's not GoaT material as Hamilton or Alonso are, he's not your No. 2 driver either, but someone fully worthy of a WDC crown.

I think he is quite an accomplished driver, and for the most part holds his own against those with equal cars under them. As you said, he beat Seb in points in the same car, and that is no easy feat. But for the record, in equal cars he has also beaten Lewis. If we can't use Top Gear laps as a gauge, then what else do we have? :laugh:


But the Aussie GP is really just no gauge at all for the most part. At the pointy end of the field, nobody really took a fight to anyone else. Some closed and attempted to fight for position, others probably just realized it was pointless. And really we all know that the aero packages car to car often dictate who can close and fight and who can't, as well as when and where the power differences come to light.

[Nitrodaze]

I don't think Ricciardo is quite on the same level as Hamilton, but I do believe he is an exceptionally talented racer and one who could snatch a WDC or two from him as Rosberg did. Let us remember that this is the guy who handed Vettel's backside over to him on a plate. So even if he's not GoaT material as Hamilton or Alonso are, he's not your No. 2 driver either, but someone fully worthy of a WDC crown.

N4D13 your estimation is quite correct. I don't think anyone would see Ricciado as a Nos 2 driver, the very reason why he might leave Redbull. And l read alot about him beating Vettel in the Redbull. But no mind is given to the fact that it was a Redbull struggling to be competitive against the Mercs and Ferrari. A not very motivating circumstances for a driver that has tasted the sweet end of four WDC. I would accept these comparisons if Vettel was in his sweet spot and Ricciado beat him fair and square.

I wonder when people undervalue the best driver on the grid and measure him equally to unproven drivers like Ricciado. As if it is easy to win four WDC, l suppose you just have to be in the best car to do it. Webber was in the best car when Vettel won his four, so was Rosberg who won one due to very weird circumstances. While Ricciado is highly rated, he has not convinced anyone that he can get on top of Verstapenn. The one everyone is touting to be the next big thing in the post Hamilton era.

Ricciado in the Mercedes would be much better than Bottas, there is no doubt. One hopes that he would be able to emulate Rosberg by giving us a great inter-teammate rivalry. But failing to recognize the brilliance of Hamilton is just simply a high order of motor racing ignorance. That comment is not intended for you by the way.

Hamilton's league is an exclusive club which includes the illustrious names such as Vettel and Alonso. Verstapenn is knocking on the door of this club. And Ricciado is a wanna be at this stage.

[The Black Knight]

N4D13 your estimation is quite correct. I don't think anyone would see Ricciado as a Nos 2 driver, the very reason why he might leave Redbull. And l read alot about him beating Vettel in the Redbull. But no mind is given to the fact that it was a Redbull struggling to be competitive against the Mercs and Ferrari. A not very motivating circumstances for a driver that has tasted the sweet end of four WDC. I would accept these comparisons if Vettel was in his sweet spot and Ricciado beat him fair and square.

I wonder when people undervalue the best driver on the grid and measure him equally to unproven drivers like Ricciado. As if it is easy to win four WDC, l suppose you just have to be in the best car to do it. Webber was in the best car when Vettel won his four, so was Rosberg who won one due to very weird circumstances. While Ricciado is highly rated, he has not convinced anyone that he can get on top of Verstapenn. The one everyone is touting to be the next big thing in the post Hamilton era.

Ricciado in the Mercedes would be much better than Bottas, there is no doubt. One hopes that he would be able to emulate Rosberg by giving us a great inter-teammate rivalry. But failing to recognize the brilliance of Hamilton is just simply a high order of motor racing ignorance. That comment is not intended for you by the way.

Hamilton's league is an exclusive club which includes the illustrious names such as Vettel and Alonso. Verstapenn is knocking on the door of this club. And Ricciado is a wanna be at this stage.

Alonso and Hamilton are in that GOAT league for sure. Vettel isn’t. Once again we saw last weekend his inability to work around a car that isn’t perfect for him. He won, yes, but it was very fortuitous. It was the same in 2014, he had a year to find a way to work that car and he couldn’t. Instead he was beaten very convincingly by a guy that just arrived in the team.

Ricciardo may well be the best on the grid but until he proves it with a championship or at least gets on top of Max he should shut it. Max out qualified him convincingly last year. Ricciardo said Max is the toughest teammate he has had. What does that tell you about Vettel? The jury is still out on Ricciardo. Maybe we’ll be sitting here in a year or two and he’ll be in that league of Alonso and Hamilton. But he has to prove that yet.