F1 2020 Season

Wicked_Badger

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
1,563
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
Seems like the stewards want to remind everyone of the rules with this outcome to try prevent a similar accident in the future. I’d be interested if most of their behaviour differed from previous SC restarts.

Having looked at it a few times, Russel looks like he might’ve been the fuse for the early bolt. So difficult to tell though.
 

keithsingleton

Full Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2012
Messages
1,363
Location
Salford
Norris having a quietly consistent season.
Ive had a watchful eye on him for a while now and I follow him behind Hammy. Not sure he will ever reach Hammys standards but don't think it will be that long before he moves up to one of the bigger teams soon,mat least I hope he does..

Like more fans though I'd love to see Hammy & Verstappen in a Merc.
 

keithsingleton

Full Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2012
Messages
1,363
Location
Salford
Ive had a watchful eye on him for a while now and I follow him behind Hammy. Not sure he will ever reach Hammys standards but don't think it will be that long before he moves up to one of the bigger teams soon, at least I hope he does..

Like most fans though I'd love to see Hammy & Verstappen in a Merc.
 

slyadams

Full Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2012
Messages
2,189
Ive had a watchful eye on him for a while now and I follow him behind Hammy. Not sure he will ever reach Hammys standards but don't think it will be that long before he moves up to one of the bigger teams soon,mat least I hope he does..

Like more fans though I'd love to see Hammy & Verstappen in a Merc.
Not quite sure at the moment where he can step up? Russell will get the next Merc seat that becomes available, Ferrari will be a step down for the forseeable, Red Bull almost always promote from within, Racing Point are no better than McLaren and Renault are generally a basket case. His best bet at the moment I think is staying where he is, next year they'll have a Merc power unit and McLaren have clearly gotten their house in order given the improvements over the past 2 years. Its quite likely McLaren will separate themselves as the 3rd best team next year.
 

Leg-End

Full Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2004
Messages
19,542
Remarkable stat time, Max Verstappen is just one DNF away from matching Lewis Hamilton's career total to date.
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,206
Believe it's the former, doesn't seem to come with any penalty points so it's of no consequence at all.
It does go on your record, if you get too many (3 in a season I think) you get points on your licence.
 

Rooney1987

Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2006
Messages
6,243
Location
Bradford
So according to the BBC Lewis is going to be investigated by the FIA for wearing the Breonna Taylor t shirt at the race.
 

Redplane

( . Y . ) planned for Christmas
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
10,227
Location
The Royal Kingdom of Trumpistan
Remarkable stat time, Max Verstappen is just one DNF away from matching Lewis Hamilton's career total to date.
That's nuts and sad. Wonder how many of the DNF were because of no fault of his own. No wonder Max said he was "done" after yesterday. If it werent for his salary Max could probably really raise some hell with Horner over the inconsistencies. The compensation package he has seems to kind of undermine his leverage.
 

Gringo

Full Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2019
Messages
3,396
Supports
Portugal
Genuinely one of the most beautiful landscaped tracks I've ever seen. Might have to track down a desktop wallpaper.
 

Wicked_Badger

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
1,563
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
Remarkable stat time, Max Verstappen is just one DNF away from matching Lewis Hamilton's career total to date.
That’s bonkers! He’s contributed a few to that stat himself, but the Red Bull/Renault/Honda has been crazy unreliable in the hybrid era. I don’t think they get enough stick for underperforming tbh.

Everyone hates on Merc for being dominant, but Ferrari & Red Bull have similar resources and have had more than enough time to get their house in order to challenge more closely.
 

Cheimoon

Made of cheese
Scout
Joined
Jun 22, 2020
Messages
14,328
Location
Canada
Supports
no-one in particular
That’s bonkers! He’s contributed a few to that stat himself, but the Red Bull/Renault/Honda has been crazy unreliable in the hybrid era. I don’t think they get enough stick for underperforming tbh.

Everyone hates on Merc for being dominant, but Ferrari & Red Bull have similar resources and have had more than enough time to get their house in order to challenge more closely.
Red Bull actually seem to have slid backwards compared to last year. (Verstappen pretty much said as much this week or the last.) When's the last time Mercedes messed up their car development?
 

Wicked_Badger

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
1,563
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
Red Bull actually seem to have slid backwards compared to last year. (Verstappen pretty much said as much this week or the last.) When's the last time Mercedes messed up their car development?
Yeah It’s definitely not as strong as often this year. The car looks a handful to set up and often has a ‘nervous’ rear. I also wonder if the Honda engine (in the Red Bull at least) really suffers from the recent engine mode ref changes.

I could see McLaren/Aston Martin close the gap on them next season, and maybe into the new regs years too.
 

mariachi-19

Full Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
18,595
Location
I may be the devil, but i'm not a monster
That’s bonkers! He’s contributed a few to that stat himself, but the Red Bull/Renault/Honda has been crazy unreliable in the hybrid era. I don’t think they get enough stick for underperforming tbh.

Everyone hates on Merc for being dominant, but Ferrari & Red Bull have similar resources and have had more than enough time to get their house in order to challenge more closely.
Bullshit. When Mercedes came in with such a huge advantage in the power unit, every team is playing catch up and have been since 2014. Thats not denying that Mercedes didnt do a good job, but having a massive power unit means you can make a more draggy car without losing too much on your opponents.
 

Wicked_Badger

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
1,563
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
Bullshit. When Mercedes came in with such a huge advantage in the power unit, every team is playing catch up and have been since 2014. Thats not denying that Mercedes didnt do a good job, but having a massive power unit means you can make a more draggy car without losing too much on your opponents.
Which part is Bullshit? That Red Bull & Ferrari have similar resources to Merc (which they do)? Or that they haven’t had enough time to catch up?

Everyone got the new regs at the same time. Merc did a better job, but the rest of them have had 6 years+ to catch up (except Honda who entered late). They should have by now.

Maybe if Ferrari had spent their time more focused on legitimately developing their engine rather than cheating they’d be a bit closer now.

Plus it’s not all PU related. Operationally RB/Ferrari have not been on the same level, they’ve made missteps around driver retention/signings and reliability has been substandard too.

They’ve failed to rise to the challenge, simple as that. And Merc are hated on because they’ve done an exemplary job and folk are bored of seeing them winning.
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,206
Which part is Bullshit? That Red Bull & Ferrari have similar resources to Merc (which they do)? Or that they haven’t had enough time to catch up?

Everyone got the new regs at the same time. Merc did a better job, but the rest of them have had 6 years+ to catch up (except Honda who entered late). They should have by now.

Maybe if Ferrari had spent their time more focused on legitimately developing their engine rather than cheating they’d be a bit closer now.

Plus it’s not all PU related. Operationally RB/Ferrari have not been on the same level, they’ve made missteps around driver retention/signings and reliability has been substandard too.

They’ve failed to rise to the challenge, simple as that. And Merc are hated on because they’ve done an exemplary job and folk are bored of seeing them winning.
It's the people. Ferrari had the last generation, Mercedes hoovered up this generation. All the best engineers went with them and consequently nobody else can catch up. I know a bunch of Mercedes guys who joined them around 2010-12. It requires a total direction change from the FIA to shake that up.
 

mariachi-19

Full Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
18,595
Location
I may be the devil, but i'm not a monster
Which part is Bullshit? That Red Bull & Ferrari have similar resources to Merc (which they do)? Or that they haven’t had enough time to catch up?

Everyone got the new regs at the same time. Merc did a better job, but the rest of them have had 6 years+ to catch up (except Honda who entered late). They should have by now.

Maybe if Ferrari had spent their time more focused on legitimately developing their engine rather than cheating they’d be a bit closer now.

Plus it’s not all PU related. Operationally RB/Ferrari have not been on the same level, they’ve made missteps around driver retention/signings and reliability has been substandard too.

They’ve failed to rise to the challenge, simple as that. And Merc are hated on because they’ve done an exemplary job and folk are bored of seeing them winning.
Money does not equal resources. Otherwise United would have killed the league the last few years.

The issue is that when you have such a large head start, you're always one step above the opposition (I would argue that Mercedes advantage was so large that they were 2 or 3 steps ahead) and for those teams to compete, its not just about having the same resources, you have to have more and better resources at your disposal. That is what's bullshit.

To the bold part, the FIA have done a terrible job at knee capping them like they did to every successful team previously. Whether it was Ferrari, Williams, McLaren, Renault, Lotus etc. All of them have been fecked over since the start of F1 when they were as dominant in order to make the sport more competitive. That Mercedes engine advantage is so large that teams have to resort to cheating because they cannot compete any other way because not only do they have to develop excellent aero packages, they are required to somehow develop an engine to be competitive while the current regs hardly let them touch it. Nobody is directly hating on Mercedes, its more so that the FIA have ruined the sport by failing to do what they have always done in the past.
 

Wicked_Badger

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
1,563
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
It's the people. Ferrari had the last generation, Mercedes hoovered up this generation. All the best engineers went with them and consequently nobody else can catch up. I know a bunch of Mercedes guys who joined them around 2010-12. It requires a total direction change from the FIA to shake that up.
Yeah, agreed. It’s part of the game though, hiring the right people at the right time. And poaching talent from teams too.

Money does not equal resources. Otherwise United would have killed the league the last few years.

The issue is that when you have such a large head start, you're always one step above the opposition (I would argue that Mercedes advantage was so large that they were 2 or 3 steps ahead) and for those teams to compete, its not just about having the same resources, you have to have more and better resources at your disposal. That is what's bullshit.

To the bold part, the FIA have done a terrible job at knee capping them like they did to every successful team previously. Whether it was Ferrari, Williams, McLaren, Renault, Lotus etc. All of them have been fecked over since the start of F1 when they were as dominant in order to make the sport more competitive. That Mercedes engine advantage is so large that teams have to resort to cheating because they cannot compete any other way because not only do they have to develop excellent aero packages, they are required to somehow develop an engine to be competitive while the current regs hardly let them touch it. Nobody is directly hating on Mercedes, its more so that the FIA have ruined the sport by failing to do what they have always done in the past.
I never mentioned money. I agree that money doesn’t translate to success, it’s up to the team to convert it as efficiently as possible to get the best bang for their buck.

Merc created their head start. They began working on the PU before the others did, hired the right people & consequently had a large advantage when the hybrid era began. That’s not the FIA‘s or any one else’s fault, others simply chose to focus on other things and dedicate their time & resources elsewhere.

They’ve had a big gap to overcome and the FIA hasn’t always helped, I totally agree. I’m really hoping that the new regs close the gap for all teams, as a McLaren fan, god knows I could do with it. But to suggest Ferrari had to resort to cheating is ludicrous. It certainly doesn’t look like Renault & Honda have adopted that approach anyway.

We can agree to disagree, but I don’t think I’m wrong in expecting more from Red Bull & Ferrari over the past few years. It wasn’t too long ago a good chunk of people thought that Ferrari had the best package in the paddock, and they still didn’t mount an effective challenge.
 

Ubik

Nothing happens until something moves!
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
18,759
The engine regs were a mistake, due to the massive cost and complexity involved, but Ferrari can't blame anyone other themselves for the poor showing they've put on under these regulations.
 

mariachi-19

Full Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
18,595
Location
I may be the devil, but i'm not a monster
Yeah, agreed. It’s part of the game though, hiring the right people at the right time. And poaching talent from teams too.



I never mentioned money. I agree that money doesn’t translate to success, it’s up to the team to convert it as efficiently as possible to get the best bang for their buck.

Merc created their head start. They began working on the PU before the others did, hired the right people & consequently had a large advantage when the hybrid era began. That’s not the FIA‘s or any one else’s fault, others simply chose to focus on other things and dedicate their time & resources elsewhere.

They’ve had a big gap to overcome and the FIA hasn’t always helped, I totally agree. I’m really hoping that the new regs close the gap for all teams, as a McLaren fan, god knows I could do with it. But to suggest Ferrari had to resort to cheating is ludicrous. It certainly doesn’t look like Renault & Honda have adopted that approach anyway.

We can agree to disagree, but I don’t think I’m wrong in expecting more from Red Bull & Ferrari over the past few years. It wasn’t too long ago a good chunk of people thought that Ferrari had the best package in the paddock, and they still didn’t mount an effective challenge.
The only time Ferrari truly had a car that was equal to the Merc was in 2017 and you could suggest that given the major changes in the sport, it was inevitable that Mercedes would have a blip in aero design or would come back closer to the pack... but their engine was still the best by far and so by spending a year perfecting their aero setup, it moved them into a position for 2018 where they returned to having the best overall package again while the rest of grid was still trying to play catch up on the engine front. It was literally a raw package in 2017 that was bettered in 2018 and perfected in 2019/2020.


People have a tendency to underrate Sebastian Vettel. His mistakes in the last few years are a combination of a driver driving beyond the capabilities of the car and also one who is under intense pressure to perform. For me, he is the reason Ferrari were even competitive in the first place.
 

Tiber

Full Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Messages
10,231
Maybe having a self confessed Ferrari man running F1 will help them stop sucking. Sure hope so, the constant Merc domination is bad for everyone
 

Leg-End

Full Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2004
Messages
19,542
Ah yes Russia, the track where Bottas realises his talent once per season. Knowing his luck he will put it on pole by 3 tenths and then get beaten into Turn 1 by Hamilton anyway.