2014 Australian Grand Prix Thread - A New Dawn?

[Ataxia]

Less than a week to go until FP1 everyone, and my word I'm looking forward to it.

There are so many questions to be answered and Melbourne in all it's glory won't even provide all of the answers especially if there's rain; a not unlikely scenario having seen rumours of a damp weekend.

We're in for a lot of fun next week.

[Jocke1]

It is the nineteenth race at Albert Park, and there has been a total of 65 lead changes in the eighteen previous ones. The current record was set last year at 10 lead changes.
Maybe we will see that broken again this year.


Top 3 (wins)

1. Schumacher --- 4
2. Button --------- 3
3. Coulthard ----- 2
3. Raikkonen ---- 2


Top 3 (laps led)

1. Schumacher -- 198
2. Button -------- 150
3. Raikkonen ----- 96

[UncreativeUsername37]

In 1995, there were 130 mechanical failures, or ~31.1% of the entries. No year since then has beaten either figure.

We can do it. It's possible.

[Peter]

I just found a few comments from Button in the BBC preview.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/26407279

"I'm always worried about Red Bull," Button said. "If they can put a few laps together you can see their pace. They're strong. It's a good-looking car; it looks like it should work from an aerodynamic point of view and I think when they do get reliability, if they do, they'll be very, very competitive.
"I was driving with Ricciardo for quite a few laps and he couldn't get past me on the straights. He overtook me around the outside of Turn 11 instead, which is a high-speed left-hander. I've never seen anything like that before.
"If they can complete a race distance, they'll be near the front."

Maybe I'm just being a little paranoid, but I really hope Red Bull aren't just a reliability fix away from continuing vettelwinslol.

[VirtuaMcPolygon]

Maybe I'm just being a little paranoid, but I really hope Red Bull aren't just a reliability fix away from continuing vettelwinslol.

I don't think that's going to be the case until we get back to europe. It's basically how BRAWN GP won the champ. Nobody could match them until they got back to play catch up in Europe with the double diffuser.

I can see Red Bull bringing along a bodged aero kit that will just be focused on cooling down the under powered heat box a.k.a. the Renault engine.

Did McClaren run any major aero updates over Bahrain in the end? Bar the basic spec launch car. You never know they could jump to the top of the list come next week..

[mario]

Maybe I'm just being a little paranoid, but I really hope Red Bull aren't just a reliability fix away from continuing vettelwinslol.

I don't think that's going to be the case until we get back to europe. It's basically how BRAWN GP won the champ. Nobody could match them until they got back to play catch up in Europe with the double diffuser.

I can see Red Bull bringing along a bodged aero kit that will just be focused on cooling down the under powered heat box a.k.a. the Renault engine.

Did McClaren run any major aero updates over Bahrain in the end? Bar the basic spec launch car. You never know they could jump to the top of the list come next week..

Renault's problems would seem to extend beyond just cooling issues though, amid talk that there are issues with excessive turbo lag and the energy recovery systems cutting in too abruptly (and, if some rumours are to be believed, the fly by wire rear brakes are also causing problems). Maybe Renault can bring some software tweaks to ameliorate those problems, but it is probably true that Red Bull will potentially be in damage limitation mode during the first few races.

As for McLaren, whilst originally McLaren planned on bringing in their Australian spec bodywork for the final two days of the last Bahrain test, it would appear that they only brought in a small update to the front wing and a slightly adjusted sidepod panel, with the remaining upgrades postponed to the first race due to production issues. There is also some talk in AMuS that Force India are bringing a modified chassis to Australia which, combined with other modifications, shaves about 10kg off the weight of the car and now brings them under the weight limit, giving them a little bit of ballast to play with.

[Enforcer]

Maybe I'm just being a little paranoid, but I really hope Red Bull aren't just a reliability fix away from continuing vettelwinslol.

There's at least as much possibility of the season turning out as hamiltonwinslol, which will be just as boring. Actually, insertanydriverherewinslol will be boring.

I have preferences on who I'd like to see win the WDC obviously, although I'm not as fanatic as I used to be, but just so long as it's interesting and no one drives 5 seconds out front and then stays there practically every race.

[Basetornado]

Im gonna be there all four days and hoping to get as many autographs on the thursday as i can haha. I got Paul Stoddart and alan Jones last time.
Im gonna be watching from turn three for the best viewing point for my money.

[Alextrax52]

Maybe I'm just being a little paranoid, but I really hope Red Bull aren't just a reliability fix away from continuing vettelwinslol.

There's at least as much possibility of the season turning out as hamiltonwinslol, which will be just as boring. Actually, insertanydriverherewinslol will be boring.

I have preferences on who I'd like to see win the WDC obviously, although I'm not as fanatic as I used to be, but just so long as it's interesting and no one drives 5 seconds out front and then stays there practically every race.

If it is hamiltonwinslol what will bug me is the comments in Sky Sports articles. The same people who belittle Vettel's domination will laude Hamilton's domination to the skies

[IceG]

Hamilton left a leading team to go to an underperforming one because he could see the writing on the wall. Vettel has stayed with a dominant team despite the history of Renault's struggles with turbos and Newey's dislike of hot engines, he did not see what was coming.

Vettel has won championship after championship. Hamilton hasn't.

That is why vettelwinslol is boring and hamiltonwinslolo isn't (yet).

[good_Ralf]

Hamilton left a leading team to go to an underperforming one because he could see the writing on the wall. Vettel has stayed with a dominant team despite the history of Renault's struggles with turbos and Newey's dislike of hot engines, he did not see what was coming.

Vettel has won championship after championship. Hamilton hasn't.

That is why vettelwinslol is boring and hamiltonwinslolo isn't (yet).

I think it will be more like MERCWINSLOL because I certainly wouldn't rule out Rosberg in the battle for the title.

[go_Rubens]

Hamilton left a leading team to go to an underperforming one because he could see the writing on the wall. Vettel has stayed with a dominant team despite the history of Renault's struggles with turbos and Newey's dislike of hot engines, he did not see what was coming.

Vettel has won championship after championship. Hamilton hasn't.

That is why vettelwinslol is boring and hamiltonwinslolo isn't (yet).

I think it will be more like MERCWINSLOL because I certainly wouldn't rule out Rosberg in the battle for the title.

Rosberg is my favorite over Hamilton. Rosberg has proven he has what it takes to go fast, and I feel his driving style suits the new regulations more than Lewis. Lewis has the experience of being in the championship hunt, but Rosberg couldn't be in a better place right now for him to shine above the rest.

[mario]

Hamilton left a leading team to go to an underperforming one because he could see the writing on the wall. Vettel has stayed with a dominant team despite the history of Renault's struggles with turbos and Newey's dislike of hot engines, he did not see what was coming.

Vettel has won championship after championship. Hamilton hasn't.

That is why vettelwinslol is boring and hamiltonwinslolo isn't (yet).

I think it will be more like MERCWINSLOL because I certainly wouldn't rule out Rosberg in the battle for the title.

Rosberg is my favorite over Hamilton. Rosberg has proven he has what it takes to go fast, and I feel his driving style suits the new regulations more than Lewis. Lewis has the experience of being in the championship hunt, but Rosberg couldn't be in a better place right now for him to shine above the rest.

It is going to be interesting to see which driver may have the upper hand. Rosberg is perhaps the slightly more intelligent racer, such that the more complicated nature of the races may work to his advantage, but Hamilton's slightly greater speed in qualifying might put him at a slight strategic advantage if Rosberg ends up being bogged down in the pack during the opening laps of a race.
Hamilton may be more at ease with both the team and the characteristics of Mercedes's cars, having now got a year under his belt and been able to provide feedback on the development of the W05, but on the other hand it remains to be seen whether he is truly comfortable with the fly by wire systems that are in use this year (the drivers have reported that the systems can slightly destabilise the rear brake balance), and we know that Hamilton is quite sensitive to inconsistent brake performance due to his style of driving.

It seems that much of the public are also undecided which way it could tip too - there is a survey on F1Fanatic that suggests that most people seem to believe that the two drivers will be reasonably evenly matched, albeit slightly tipped in Hamilton's favour.

[chrismcn]

Hello again. I've missed you F1 and F1 Rejects. I feel like I've been on a year out from F1, a gap year if you like. Now I'm not sure that I am ready to be in front of the telly at odd hours and getting excited about instillation laps just yet but that's ok because neither are the teams.

Reading this thread it's clear that fans and teams are at a bit loss as to what expect. Who will go fastest won't be tested until next week obviously, neither can we know who will be slow or just plane unlucky. For my part it will be interesting to see which teams will drop into reject territory and possibly more interesting to see who can clamber up a rung or two. Last years wooden spoon holders Caterham. my goodness that is a pretty livery, might be one such team and probably still have Tony Fernandes threat quit ringing in their shell like.

I think every team will have a very close eye on the Red Bull garage come first practice. It will be a year for the rejects, but then it always is.

[andrew2209]

What made VETTELWINSLOL was the fact that he just drove off from pole position in almost every race, making the races less interesting. The same guy can win 6 races, but if he does it through great overtaking and on track battles, people won't moan.

[go_Rubens]

What made VETTELWINSLOL was the fact that he just drove off from pole position in almost every race, making the races less interesting. The same guy can win 6 races, but if he does it through great overtaking and on track battles, people won't moan.

The same way people have complained of Schumacher's dominance, except a lot of Schumacher's wins came racing others with on track passes and clever strategy. And coming from low down the grid. I don't think Vettel has won a race from low on the grid, and very rarely racing someone. This is why I don't rank Vettel as high as the other greats, as he has the cards fall his way a lot of the time. Basically any reason pointed out here: http://f1rejects.com/centrale/2013/sebgreat/index.html

Which is why 2014 should define his career. If the Red Bull doesn't recover very well early on (at least until the European rounds start), then Vettel will have a lot of catching up to do, and they may not do it. So, I am interested to see just how close Vettel can get to the crown.

[Alextrax52]

What made VETTELWINSLOL was the fact that he just drove off from pole position in almost every race, making the races less interesting. The same guy can win 6 races, but if he does it through great overtaking and on track battles, people won't moan.

The same way people have complained of Schumacher's dominance, except a lot of Schumacher's wins came racing others with on track passes and clever strategy. And coming from low down the grid. I don't think Vettel has won a race from low on the grid, and very rarely racing someone. This is why I don't rank Vettel as high as the other greats, as he has the cards fall his way a lot of the time. Basically any reason pointed out here: http://f1rejects.com/centrale/2013/sebgreat/index.html

Which is why 2014 should define his career. If the Red Bull doesn't recover very well early on (at least until the European rounds start), then Vettel will have a lot of catching up to do, and they may not do it. So, I am interested to see just how close Vettel can get to the crown.

What if the unreliability woes keep cropping up for Seb throughout the year? We might not get to see it at all. I just hope they can solve these issues quickly so we can find out

[go_Rubens]

What made VETTELWINSLOL was the fact that he just drove off from pole position in almost every race, making the races less interesting. The same guy can win 6 races, but if he does it through great overtaking and on track battles, people won't moan.

The same way people have complained of Schumacher's dominance, except a lot of Schumacher's wins came racing others with on track passes and clever strategy. And coming from low down the grid. I don't think Vettel has won a race from low on the grid, and very rarely racing someone. This is why I don't rank Vettel as high as the other greats, as he has the cards fall his way a lot of the time. Basically any reason pointed out here: http://f1rejects.com/centrale/2013/sebgreat/index.html

Which is why 2014 should define his career. If the Red Bull doesn't recover very well early on (at least until the European rounds start), then Vettel will have a lot of catching up to do, and they may not do it. So, I am interested to see just how close Vettel can get to the crown.

What if the unreliability woes keep cropping up for Seb throughout the year? We might not get to see it at all. I just hope they can solve these issues quickly so we can find out

Well, we may see RBR perform "test sessions" during GP weekends. It's just that the likelyhood of the Red Bull actually running in 1 1/2 hour and 1 hour sessions compared to 10 plus hours plus the shortened qualifying sessions this year mean that Red Bull have considerably less amount of time to solve issues. They would lack the amount of on track availability in the GP weekend than the test sessions. I'd like to be able to see Vettel prove himself as a true great this season. It just seems fitting. Like Schumacher in 1996.

[good_Ralf]

What made VETTELWINSLOL was the fact that he just drove off from pole position in almost every race, making the races less interesting. The same guy can win 6 races, but if he does it through great overtaking and on track battles, people won't moan.

The same way people have complained of Schumacher's dominance, except a lot of Schumacher's wins came racing others with on track passes and clever strategy. And coming from low down the grid. I don't think Vettel has won a race from low on the grid, and very rarely racing someone. This is why I don't rank Vettel as high as the other greats, as he has the cards fall his way a lot of the time. Basically any reason pointed out here: http://f1rejects.com/centrale/2013/sebgreat/index.html

Which is why 2014 should define his career. If the Red Bull doesn't recover very well early on (at least until the European rounds start), then Vettel will have a lot of catching up to do, and they may not do it. So, I am interested to see just how close Vettel can get to the crown.

Vettel is peerless at the front but when he is further back or even slightly under pressure in the lead he tends to falter and gets into (sometimes big) trouble e.g. Japan 2007, Australia and Turkey 2009 Turkey and Belgium 2010, Canada and Germany 2011, Italy and Abu Dhabi and Brazil 2012. Some of those aren't entirely his fault but other drivers get around those situations much better. In fact looking at the databases the lowest Vettel has won a race from is 3rd (in Malaysia 2010 and Singapore 2012).

It's possible that Vettel will still continue to have incidents when starting further back. I've accepted that he is a good driver but to be confirmed as the best he has to prove himself. Enough said.

BTW I'm told Vettel won in Italy 2008 because he had the best set-up on the grid that weekend as well as being decent in the conditions. That's an incorrect statement right?

[go_Rubens]

What made VETTELWINSLOL was the fact that he just drove off from pole position in almost every race, making the races less interesting. The same guy can win 6 races, but if he does it through great overtaking and on track battles, people won't moan.

The same way people have complained of Schumacher's dominance, except a lot of Schumacher's wins came racing others with on track passes and clever strategy. And coming from low down the grid. I don't think Vettel has won a race from low on the grid, and very rarely racing someone. This is why I don't rank Vettel as high as the other greats, as he has the cards fall his way a lot of the time. Basically any reason pointed out here: http://f1rejects.com/centrale/2013/sebgreat/index.html

Which is why 2014 should define his career. If the Red Bull doesn't recover very well early on (at least until the European rounds start), then Vettel will have a lot of catching up to do, and they may not do it. So, I am interested to see just how close Vettel can get to the crown.

Vettel is peerless at the front but when he is further back or even slightly under pressure in the lead he tends to falter and gets into (sometimes big) trouble e.g. Japan 2007, Australia and Turkey 2009 Turkey and Belgium 2010, Canada and Germany 2011, Italy and Abu Dhabi and Brazil 2012. Some of those aren't entirely his fault but other drivers get around those situations much better. In fact looking at the databases the lowest Vettel has won a race from is 3rd (in Malaysia 2010 and Singapore 2012).

It's possible that Vettel will still continue to have incidents when starting further back. I've accepted that he is a good driver but to be confirmed as the best he has to prove himself. Enough said.

BTW I'm told Vettel won in Italy 2008 because he had the best set-up on the grid that weekend as well as being decent in the conditions. That's an incorrect statement right?

1) Seb certainly falters under pressure, well, sometimes. He's gotten so used to the good machinery he's been given that when he has an off qualifying day, he does make up ground, but his mentality around getting back up front isn't at as sharp a level as it shouod be, because rarely do the cards not fall his way. He is a deserving champion, don't get me wrong, but his results just feel like looking at the current F1RWRS champion Rhys Davies's results in 2016. Davies had a clear benefit with the Ford engine being very reliable, as well as his Jones's chassis, and the others had worse reliability like MRT and Alitalia with their respective problems (MRT rarely finishing). It goes to show when Davies has only retired once so far while everyone else was nowhere near as consistent and DNFed more, which sounds similar to the 2013 F1 season. Rhys Davies is a very deserving champion nonetheless.

It's just that Davies didn't have qualifying on his side all the time, and he had to race through the pack on most occasions to get into the top 4. He finished in the top 4 in every race he finished. However, this is where the two differ. Vettel has always had qualifying on his side with all his wins. Davies didn't, even if it's a virtual world. Davies didn't win a lot because his rivals took points off each other winning. Davies still had to fight each race to win his championship. He did win a race. Vettel just gets to drive away and no one sees him after that.

Both are still similar thanks to their rivals not being up to scratch. In F1RWRS, if you don't have good reliability, it takes a half decent miracle to finish. Or prequalify in some cases. Vettel had such a big advantage because all the teams started focusing on 2014 after RBR won everything there was to win championship wise. Since this was the case, Vettel could easily run away.

No, with that comparison done, I realize something. Everyone but RBR basically ditched 2013 before RBR did. Could this mean that Vettel's attempt at more consecutive race wins and as many points possible may have taken away from their 2014 preparations? Because if so, that perfectly explains the packaging error, becuase if they paid more attention to it, the problem could surely have been avoided?

[pasta_maldonado]

1) Seb certainly falters under pressure, well, sometimes. He's gotten so used to the good machinery he's been given that when he has an off qualifying day, he does make up ground, but his mentality around getting back up front isn't at as sharp a level as it shouod be, because rarely do the cards not fall his way. He is a deserving champion, don't get me wrong, but his results just feel like looking at the current F1RWRS champion Rhys Davies's results in 2016. Davies had a clear benefit with the Ford engine being very reliable, as well as his Jones's chassis, and the others had worse reliability like MRT and Alitalia with their respective problems (MRT rarely finishing). It goes to show when Davies has only retired once so far while everyone else was nowhere near as consistent and DNFed more, which sounds similar to the 2013 F1 season. Rhys Davies is a very deserving champion nonetheless.

It's just that Davies didn't have qualifying on his side all the time, and he had to race through the pack on most occasions to get into the top 4. He finished in the top 4 in every race he finished. However, this is where the two differ. Vettel has always had qualifying on his side with all his wins. Davies didn't, even if it's a virtual world. Davies didn't win a lot because his rivals took points off each other winning. Davies still had to fight each race to win his championship. He did win a race. Vettel just gets to drive away and no one sees him after that.

Both are still similar thanks to their rivals not being up to scratch. In F1RWRS, if you don't have good reliability, it takes a half decent miracle to finish. Or prequalify in some cases. Vettel had such a big advantage because all the teams started focusing on 2014 after RBR won everything there was to win championship wise. Since this was the case, Vettel could easily run away.

No, with that comparison done, I realize something. Everyone but RBR basically ditched 2013 before RBR did. Could this mean that Vettel's attempt at more consecutive race wins and as many points possible may have taken away from their 2014 preparations? Because if so, that perfectly explains the packaging error, becuase if they paid more attention to it, the problem could surely have been avoided?

Not quite. Although Rhys Davies had an almost impeccable finishing record thanks to the bulletproof Ford powerplant, he was rarely the fastest drive on track. In fact, 15/16 races gone, Davies has won just once, at the Spa SuperPrix, which also happened to be a rare time when Davies won on merit. Also, Davies has finished outside the top 4 twice - recording a 5th at the season opener at Adelaide and a 5th last time out at Macau. Most weekends, the ArrowTech or the Alitalia held the outright pace, with bad luck and stupid driving errors - Mignolet at Canada, for example - ruining their championship hopes. MRT were putting 2013-era Foxdale to shame - not only was making some shocking driver decisions bad enough, the BMW powerplant was more likely to explode than a live grenade.

Oh, Kamahahahahaha winning two races was of course pure luck, they're still the biggest bunch of muppets in the paddock

[go_Rubens]

Not quite. Although Rhys Davies had an almost impeccable finishing record thanks to the bulletproof Ford powerplant, he was rarely the fastest drive on track. In fact, 15/16 races gone, Davies has won just once, at the Spa SuperPrix, which also happened to be a rare time when Davies won on merit. Also, Davies has finished outside the top 4 twice - recording a 5th at the season opener at Adelaide and a 5th last time out at Macau. Most weekends, the ArrowTech or the Alitalia held the outright pace, with bad luck and stupid driving errors - Mignolet at Canada, for example - ruining their championship hopes. MRT were putting 2013-era Foxdale to shame - not only was making some shocking driver decisions bad enough, the BMW powerplant was more likely to explode than a live grenade.

Oh, Kamahahahahaha winning two races was of course pure luck, they're still the biggest bunch of muppets in the paddock

Yeah, not being involved in F1RWRS goes to show that I don't pay attention as well as the guys who actually are involved. Not bad for my standards though, although in a few years I'll have to up it.

Kamahahahahaha and Dofiasco are quite appropriate. Although I think Tomo Kazama had the talent to bring the Kamaha home anyway.

[pasta_maldonado]

Not quite. Although Rhys Davies had an almost impeccable finishing record thanks to the bulletproof Ford powerplant, he was rarely the fastest drive on track. In fact, 15/16 races gone, Davies has won just once, at the Spa SuperPrix, which also happened to be a rare time when Davies won on merit. Also, Davies has finished outside the top 4 twice - recording a 5th at the season opener at Adelaide and a 5th last time out at Macau. Most weekends, the ArrowTech or the Alitalia held the outright pace, with bad luck and stupid driving errors - Mignolet at Canada, for example - ruining their championship hopes. MRT were putting 2013-era Foxdale to shame - not only was making some shocking driver decisions bad enough, the BMW powerplant was more likely to explode than a live grenade.

Oh, Kamahahahahaha winning two races was of course pure luck, they're still the biggest bunch of muppets in the paddock

Yeah, not being involved in F1RWRS goes to show that I don't pay attention as well as the guys who actually are involved. Not bad for my standards though, although in a few years I'll have to up it.

Kamahahahahaha and Dofiasco are quite appropriate. Although I think Tomo Kazama had the talent to bring the Kamaha home anyway.

She has the talent, although unfortunately for her she is roughly as likeable as Christian Horner

[Rusujuur]

Well, the *insertdrivername*winslol is most always boring, because it occurs when a driver/machinery combo is above the rest and that usually means poles as well as superior race pace. Although there are some exceptions, like when we had Buttonwinslol it happened in the beginning of the season and at that time big swings in form are more likely compared to Vettelwinslol in 2012, where he overwhelmed the grid towards the end of the season, but we still had an amazing beginning to the season. It is really sad when we have winslol for the whole season like last year, Vettels 2nd championship, about 3 of Schumis championships etc. Looking at the testing it could be a winslol season for Merc. Even if there is some intrateam rivalry having the same team run away with it is also rather boring, there will be team orders at one point etc. etc.

What could also be rather damaging to the sport is if the Renault teams cannot complete the full distance or can, but with 80% power usage. It would be like having 2 different classes of cars on track at the same time (Although, the 3, now 2 new teams were also in a class of their own, but they were not 2 of the top 4 teams from last year...). It would be bad for Vettel as well, because it would just add more fuel to the "it was all about the car" argument. He should at least be given a fighting chance.

[watka]

Less than a week to go until FP1 everyone, and my word I'm looking forward to it.

There are so many questions to be answered and Melbourne in all it's glory won't even provide all of the answers especially if there's rain; a not unlikely scenario having seen rumours of a damp weekend.

We're in for a lot of fun next week.

I thought we weren't allowed to mention rain! Mind you the rain in Britain seems to have disappeared so perhaps its making its way south...

Im gonna be there all four days and hoping to get as many autographs on the thursday as i can haha. I got Paul Stoddart and alan Jones last time.
Im gonna be watching from turn three for the best viewing point for my money.

Good luck, Stoddart and Jones are 2 signatures I'd certainly want. Maybe Webber will be around and you can knab him?

[More_Blue_Flags]

The Australian GP is shaping up to potentially be the most interesting and entertaining race for some time - certainly since I started following F1 again in 2012. Alas, I am now working all weekend and won't be finished until about the time the race finishes.

What an abject disaster - the scheduling of my professional obligations is an early contender for ROTR.

[CoopsII]

The Australian GP is shaping up to potentially be the most interesting and entertaining race for some time - certainly since I started following F1 again in 2012. Alas, I am now working all weekend and won't be finished until about the time the race finishes.

What an abject disaster - the scheduling of my professional obligations is an early contender for ROTR.

Bah! And they try to tell you that working is a good thing! Pshaw!

[Ferrim]

In 1995, there were 130 mechanical failures, or ~31.1% of the entries. No year since then has beaten either figure.

We can do it. It's possible.

We won't get even close to that, but I will be happy if we have around five cars retiring every race because of mechanical issues. It's not like in the old times, they will pull in if they find trouble because of the grid penalties, although we will see the odd smoking car here and there. But combine this with a Crashtor start that makes us proud, and we will be looking forward to a race of 12 finishers...

As for Mercedes domination, it will be okay if we can see two drivers from the same team (like, er, Mercedes) fighting for the title.

[Londoner]

Just noticed a few weather forecasts for Sunday, and all I say is:

[DanielPT]

Just noticed a few weather forecasts for Sunday, and all I say is:

If there is anything GP weather forecasts taught me, is that unless I see rain when time comes, they are wrong. Though this time I was looking forward to see a dry GP so probably, just to piss me off, it will be raining.

[DemocalypseNow]

Who will win this weekend?

It'll be a debut win for Valtteri Bottas in the Williams! I expect a total cluster****, but with a Mercedes powered car emerging from the storm to take the win. So I'm rolling the dice on Valtteri here.

[Collieafc]

Just noticed a few weather forecasts for Sunday, and all I say is:

Now we are doomed to a dry race!

Plus I double-taked this thread when I first saw it...

[Ferrim]

To be honest, I prefer dry races these days. Nowadays, wet races consist of a few laps in a track dry enough for intermediate tyres, and everyone switching to slicks within 10 laps, after an absurdly long SC period that wasn't needed in the first place. Not my cup of tea.

[tzerof1]

To be honest, I prefer dry races these days. Nowadays, wet races consist of a few laps in a track dry enough for intermediate tyres, and everyone switching to slicks within 10 laps, after an absurdly long SC period that wasn't needed in the first place. Not my cup of tea.

I know right! There really hasn't been a proper wet race since...China 2009 I want to say. I understand running the safety car or even stopping the race when it's absurdly wet (Fuji '07 and Canada 2011 as examples respectively) but yeah, what you stated above seems to be making proper wet races a thing of the past, which is ridiculous. There hasn't even been a wet standing start since...I wanna say China '06. Which is also somewhat ridiculous.

On a tangentially related note, am I the only person who thinks that the new engines sound like the mid-80's F1 turbos but with a modern touch?

[andrew2209]

Given that if it rains it'll be the first time the cars are actually driven at racing speed on a wet track, it could be very entertaining, or many laps behind the safety car.

[mario]

To be honest, I prefer dry races these days. Nowadays, wet races consist of a few laps in a track dry enough for intermediate tyres, and everyone switching to slicks within 10 laps, after an absurdly long SC period that wasn't needed in the first place. Not my cup of tea.

I know right! There really hasn't been a proper wet race since...China 2009 I want to say. I understand running the safety car or even stopping the race when it's absurdly wet (Fuji '07 and Canada 2011 as examples respectively) but yeah, what you stated above seems to be making proper wet races a thing of the past, which is ridiculous. There hasn't even been a wet standing start since...I wanna say China '06. Which is also somewhat ridiculous.

On a tangentially related note, am I the only person who thinks that the new engines sound like the mid-80's F1 turbos but with a modern touch?

Mind you, it is not just F1 that has become more conservative when it comes to driving in wet weather - there has also been a marked increase in the use of safety cars in sportscar racing as well, especially at Le Mans (although that may be influenced by Simonsen's fatal accident last year, which probably made the organisers considerably more cautious than they would otherwise normally be).

The other thing that might make a wet race a little of a disappointment is that it would also leave a lot of unresolved questions over the engines and drivers, which is why in many ways I'd prefer a dry opening race.

[good_Ralf]

There hasn't even been a wet standing start since...I wanna say China '06. Which is also somewhat ridiculous.

Britain 2008 was wet at the start IMO. And what a race that turned out to be.

[tzerof1]

Britain 2008 was wet at the start IMO. And what a race that turned out to be.

Ah yes that's right, I remember Aussie Grit losing his pole position with a spin on the Hangar Straight on the first lap.

[Alextrax52]

Britain 2008 was wet at the start IMO. And what a race that turned out to be.

Ah yes that's right, I remember Aussie Grit losing his pole position with a spin on the Hangar Straight on the first lap.

No it was Heikki on pole that day with MW alongside but everything else happened. I was gutted when it happened because he was going so well wet or dry up to that point as Qualifying was a pure dry event

[girry]

Melbourne 2010 as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-TweBGLFYY