Formula One Championship - 2016 Season

[metalsheep02]

14 minutes ago, Gaspode said:

I think that may be a master-stroke - Brawn is one of the most experienced F1 folk out there. He's already saying the right things - let's hope they can deliver and make the sport more competitive and less predictable than recent years....

I agree with you. My only concern is that Ross may have some engrained Ferrari sympathies that may affect the direction in which he seeks to take the regulations. Whatever it has to be better than the current situation whereby the most powerful teams simply set the agenda for all others or take in turns to set regulations that will favour their respective strengths.

[Sith Happens]

I dont think you will ever get it so more than 2 or 3 teams at a time are competitive. I have followed F1 for years and its never happened. The teams which are competitive may have changed over the years but always seem just a small proportion.

The only way I can see smaller teams becoming more competitive is if the sport follows the approach of MotoGP and the smaller teams actually get a 'satellite' version of a car delivered by the more powerful teams.

In Moto you have your honda, yamaha, ducati etc but you also have smaller teams which essentially have the same bike as the factory teams, the factory teams still have the advantage as they get the latest developments first etc but the smaller teams run much closer.

Cal Crutchlow actually won a couple on his satellite honda last year so it does make it more competitive, you probably still get your WC from the top teams but at least it mixes it up, and if you do have any top young drivers coning through their skills will shine through, for example if a young lewis had been in a 'satellite' mercedes he would still not doubt have won or had podiums.

[Animal is a Ram]

Manor Racing folds, administrators couldn't find a buyer.

[Duracell]

On 1/25/2017 at 10:19, Paul71 said:

I dont think you will ever get it so more than 2 or 3 teams at a time are competitive. I have followed F1 for years and its never happened. The teams which are competitive may have changed over the years but always seem just a small proportion.

The only way I can see smaller teams becoming more competitive is if the sport follows the approach of MotoGP and the smaller teams actually get a 'satellite' version of a car delivered by the more powerful teams.

In Moto you have your honda, yamaha, ducati etc but you also have smaller teams which essentially have the same bike as the factory teams, the factory teams still have the advantage as they get the latest developments first etc but the smaller teams run much closer.

Cal Crutchlow actually won a couple on his satellite honda last year so it does make it more competitive, you probably still get your WC from the top teams but at least it mixes it up, and if you do have any top young drivers coning through their skills will shine through, for example if a young lewis had been in a 'satellite' mercedes he would still not doubt have won or had podiums.

Nobody is saying that we could have more than 3 or possibly 4 teams competing for race wins over a season - but it shouldn't be the same 2 or 3 every season. There needs to be a formula where if a small team gets it spectacularly right, they can win. As it stands, Red Bull and Mercedes are the only two at it every season so long as McLaren have a useless engine 

Funny you should mention the satellite idea, as that's where F1 has been heading anyway. Ferrari share data and supply engines and test drivers to Haas, Torro Rosso is the Red Bull B team, McLaren share data and supply gearbox and suspension parts to Force India, while Mercedes were supplying engines and drivers to Manor.

I personally don't think F1 should head in that direction. Some teams have an obvious link with a manufacturer, but where does that leave Sauber and Williams - the sort of teams that have been the bedrock of the sport? F1 shouldn't rely on road car manufacturers for entering cars, because as soon as the board changes their mind, a team can vanish at the blink of an eye.

With the exception of Ferrari, road car manufacturers don't belong in F1. If they want to race road-relevant cars, go to Le Mans or something else. When you think of the sport at its peak, you think of Senna, Stewart, Mansell, Moss, Clarke, Hunt. They were driving McLarens, Tyrrells, Lotus', Heskeths, Williams', Vanwalls... there seems to be those school of thought from the FIA that F1 needs major manufacturers if it's the pinnacle, but that simply isn't true. The drivers are the stars in F1, and even if Alonso and Hamilton are driving cars called a Fartbox 1000 or whatever, people would watch it if the racing's exciting.

So long as you have major road car manufacturers in F1, they will architect the sport so they can win the the independents can't. They have too much money and influence to have it any other way.

[Sith Happens]

14 hours ago, Duracell said:

Nobody is saying that we could have more than 3 or possibly 4 teams competing for race wins over a season - but it shouldn't be the same 2 or 3 every season. There needs to be a formula where if a small team gets it spectacularly right, they can win. As it stands, Red Bull and Mercedes are the only two at it every season so long as McLaren have a useless engine 

Funny you should mention the satellite idea, as that's where F1 has been heading anyway. Ferrari share data and supply engines and test drivers to Haas, Torro Rosso is the Red Bull B team, McLaren share data and supply gearbox and suspension parts to Force India, while Mercedes were supplying engines and drivers to Manor.

I personally don't think F1 should head in that direction. Some teams have an obvious link with a manufacturer, but where does that leave Sauber and Williams - the sort of teams that have been the bedrock of the sport? F1 shouldn't rely on road car manufacturers for entering cars, because as soon as the board changes their mind, a team can vanish at the blink of an eye.

With the exception of Ferrari, road car manufacturers don't belong in F1. If they want to race road-relevant cars, go to Le Mans or something else. When you think of the sport at its peak, you think of Senna, Stewart, Mansell, Moss, Clarke, Hunt. They were driving McLarens, Tyrrells, Lotus', Heskeths, Williams', Vanwalls... there seems to be those school of thought from the FIA that F1 needs major manufacturers if it's the pinnacle, but that simply isn't true. The drivers are the stars in F1, and even if Alonso and Hamilton are driving cars called a Fartbox 1000 or whatever, people would watch it if the racing's exciting.

So long as you have major road car manufacturers in F1, they will architect the sport so they can win the the independents can't. They have too much money and influence to have it any other way.

It wont always be the same 2 or 3 though, history has shown us this.

In fact there is no guarantee the Mercedes will even be any good this year, the success they had was very much as a result of the work Ross Brawn did in laying the foundations for the car for the past few seasons, this year its a totally new ball game with and they might get it wrong, it happens. Red Bull got it wrong after dominating for 4 years and havent hit the same heights, Ferrari dominated for years with Schumacher and Raikonnen but have been hit and miss. Mclaren had superb cars and have had a pile of garbage for the past few years despite a huge budget.

Williams were superb in the 80's and 90's but have never been as good since, throw in Bennetton and Renault, then the Honda powered Brawn for one season only, it happens.

This year could easily be Mclaren and WIlliams being the top cars...

To be honest I really hope the Mercedes isnt dominant, if it is Hamilton will walk it this season. This sort of season with the amount of changes being made could easily throw in some surprises.

[DEL]

Not long now for new season starts. Will be very interesting how Bottas do this year.