2020 F1 Thread

[docjames]

Really feel Stroll should have copped a penalty - sure RIC left the door somewhat open, but if you close the door every time Every corner to allow for a guy totally locked up and 30-50kph too fast at corner entry, you’re pretty much just endorsing torpedo-style driving.

 

[moa999]

It was a bomb and lockup.
See at 0.40

Watch FullSizeRender | Streamable

Watch "FullSizeRender" on Streamable.

streamable.com

Also pushed Norris off the track at 0.60

 

[samh004]

And VET is out. Thanks to a coming together with his team mate.

And then there were two!

I went to bed shortly after this as I felt nauseous (unrelated) and was happy to see nothing much else changed for the rest of the race! Probably made a good choice, unlike the exciting action of last weekend.

 

[Meggsy]

Really feel Stroll should have copped a penalty - sure RIC left the door somewhat open, but if you close the door every time Every corner to allow for a guy totally locked up and 30-50kph too fast at corner entry, you’re pretty much just endorsing torpedo-style driving.

Yep, the only thing that stopped a collision was RIC did not turn in as he was entitled to do. I am finding the inconsistent interpretations of incidents and any ensuing penalties a little hard to follow at the moment.

It's fair to say right now that the big three are now the big two and Ferrari are just a mid field team on current performance.

 

[Carrots]

I am finding the inconsistent interpretations of incidents and any ensuing penalties a little hard to follow at the moment.

Spot on.

Someone needs to remind Stroll why he actually has a seat, sure he can drive, but he's not that great compared to some of the drivers sitting on the sidelines looking for a wheel to steer.

 

[docjames]

Yep, the only thing that stopped a collision was RIC did not turn in as he was entitled to do. I am finding the inconsistent interpretations of incidents and any ensuing penalties a little hard to follow at the moment.

It's fair to say right now that the big three are now the big two and Ferrari are just a mid field team on current performance.

The fact Stroll ran off the road as well is the hanging factor for me - I cant believe that’s allowed.



Noting (unrelated to above but no doubt reading the tea leaves of current performance) Renault have now launched appeal against the Force Mercedes.....

 

[snabbu]

Spot on.

Someone needs to remind Stroll why he actually has a seat, sure he can drive, but he's not that great compared to some of the drivers sitting on the sidelines looking for a wheel to steer.

100%.

"And aaaahhhhh.... when aaaaahhhhhh.... I put my foot down aaaaahhhhh.... the car went aaaaahhhhhh.... quite well aaaaaaahhhhh..... yeah."

The one guy in the paddock I just can't listen to when being interviewed.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Spot on.

Someone needs to remind Stroll why he actually has a seat, sure he can drive, but he's not that great compared to some of the drivers sitting on the sidelines looking for a wheel to steer.

Dad’s money.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Interesting article on Renault team fight at the last grand prix.

But honestly I think RIC was being too polite publicly. I know he has to be.

But really?!?! He lost eights laps or so behind his slower teammate. The way the race panned out - it probably cost him 3 or 4 places.

Hopefully that’s what their post-race debrief concluded.

Ricciardo spills on fight with teammate

Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon have opened up on their first “fight” as teammates at the Styrian Grand Prix.

www.news.com.au

 

[Carrots]

Absolutely terrible team management from Renault.

It's not in a drivers make up to give up a spot, their egos and desire to stay under contract won't let them (understandably).

Ferrari's response to their first laps was equally as poor - don't blame the new #1 driver because it would look bad, so we'll blame the car (which is clearly terrible also).

It would be refreshing for a team to actually say it how it is rather than the spin they come up with that no one actually believes anyway - they're as bad as politicians


PS when does Renault sign their new engine supply deal with Mercedes?

 

[moa999]

Early in the season it's fairly common just to let them race even if on different strategy
Theoretically at that point Ocon on Sorts should have been quicker than Dan on Mediums.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Hamilton on pole for Hungarian GP
followed by Bottas, then the Racing Point duo, Ferrari duo, Verstappen, McLaren duo, Gasly to round out the Top 10 (Q3).

With Mercedes almost 1 second up in qualifying, this GP might be a bit ho-hum....waiting to see which teammate beats the other to the first corner, then holding station.

 

[serfty]

Interesting that Ricciardo missed Q3, possibly by using medium tyres in Q2.

Will it mean he can go longer before pitting? (and will it help?)

 

[moa999]

Interesting that Ricciardo missed Q3, possibly by using medium tyres in Q2.

Will it mean he can go longer before pitting?

He used Softs. And got the last corner wrong with a big slide that cost him time.
Very lucky not to get into the top 10 add those tyres may not last.

Both Mercedes (and more surprisingly) both Racing Point also used Medium in Q2

 

[eastwest101]

Some interesting discussions about the Racing Point car, appeal process a few more weeks to go, but essentially I think the FIA has nowhere to go that accept that the "pink Mercedes" is legal because it's essentially the 2019 Mercedes car with pink paint on it, and if that's not legal then what does that say about the legality of the 2019 Mercedes car?

With no major rule changes I reckon there will be a "white Mercedes" (Williams) next year as well as the Pink Mercedes up there and competitive. Its quite surprising that it's taken this long for other teams to realize that tweaking the design of the 2019 Mercedes chassis and dropping a MB engine and then adding their own paint and stickers is the lowest cost route to getting a competitive car, why stuff around waiting for Ferrari, Renault and Honda engineers to play catch up? They haven't laid a glove on MB engines, chassis or aero in the last 6 years so nothing's going to change until the new 2021 rules and technical changes anyway.

Red Bull, Ferrari and Renault teams should be very concerned about their Hungarian quali performance on a track that has a reputation of negating the horsepower advantage.

 

[serfty]

Some interesting discussions about the Racing Point car, appeal process a few more weeks to go, but essentially I think the FIA has nowhere to go that accept that the "pink Mercedes" is legal because it's essentially the 2019 Mercedes car with pink paint on it, and if that's not legal then what does that say about the legality of the 2019 Mercedes car?

Not quite.

While a team can purchase some parts directly (from Mercedes for example), other parts and facits must be designed by the team.

These include things such as body profile and brake duct design.

A team is allowed to infer designs of these from publicly available exterior photos but cannot use IP for this.

Renault's complaint is along the lines that the interior brake duct design is too much like that of Mercedes, the design could not be inferred from exterior photos and hence Racing Point likely has broken the rules by directly using Mercedes IP in their creation.

 

[serfty]

He used Softs. And got the last corner wrong with a big slide that cost him time.
Very lucky not to get into the top 10 add those tyres may not last.

Well, at least he has a free tyre choice ...

 

[samh004]

Renault's complaint is along the lines that the interior brake duct design is too much like that of Mercedes, the design could not be inferred from exterior photos and hence Racing Point likely has broken the rules by directly using Mercedes IP in their creation.

That was my understanding of the complaint too, but would MB also be in trouble for sharing that IP?

 

[eastwest101]

That was my understanding of the complaint too, but would MB also be in trouble for sharing that IP?

I haven't read in detail but from what I saw Racing Point are saying that they used the Mercedes Wind Tunnel and exterior dimensions of the 2019 Mercedes as a starting point and I guess they will argue that their engineers came to the same design as Mercedes did originally, that's just science and that's typical of testing, and the FIA cannot punish the second independent discoverer of some improvement in design.

Could be a fun FIA hearing as every aerodynamic expert in the brake duct stuff will have their own interests and agenda and would be unreliable witnesses. Will Renault have to prove IP theft or sale of IP by someone to Racing Point? Because if so that will be a very high bar to try to prove. Will require a rather intrusive investigation into Racing Point and Mercedes Benz to do that properly.

 

[samh004]

Will require a rather intrusive investigation into Racing Point and Mercedes Benz to do that properly.

They could simply compare the two parts of the car that they think have been copied and see if they're a very similar match or an exact match. I could imagine the second discoverer coming very close in design, with a few very minor differences, but not having an exact replica