F1 News

[sagi58]

Which 3 races will Ferrari or Red Bull get to order special tires for, huh?

Or is that allowed only for Mercedes? After all, why break with the tradition they've established since they've come back to F1?

[overboost]

Pirelli has been in Merc's corner from the beginning. Who can forget the illegal Barcelona 3 day, 1000km, private, 'black helmet', inseason tire tests with Pirelli in 2013.

Crooks.

[sagi58]

Pirelli has been in Merc's corner from the beginning. Who can forget the illegal Barcelona 3 day, 1000km, private, 'black helmet', inseason tire tests with Pirelli in 2013.

Crooks.

Hey, didn't you get the memo? We're not supposed to say "mean" things about Mercedes.

[overboost]

I think that Mercedes and Pirelli both would take that as a compliment!

[sagi58]

I think that Mercedes and Pirelli both would take that as a compliment!

All about perspective, eh?

[overboost]

FIA LOOKS INTO LEGALITY OF THE 2018 FERRARI

https://www.f1today.net/en/news/f1/2381 ... 18-ferrari

No surprise that Merc? would be trying to undermine the Ferrari by going to the FIA. Ironic that Mercedes was allowed to burn oil for performance for years under the blind eye if the FIA!

[darwin dali]

Oh brother! Nothing new under the sun.

[Delfy]

Wondering if this exhaust blowing, potential engine map switch Ferrari are being investigated for will also affect Haas? It seems the FIA are coming down on this , particularly the exhaust blowing. Ferrari and Renault look like the culprits and Haas run a very similar car all round to the Ferrari. Hoping this isn’t the case. Haas have really upped their game this season, and that’s with no top league driver. Would be a blow ( haha....but seriously not funny)if they get put back through this. Depends when Ferrari introduced it, was it at the beginning of the season but is only just getting investigated? If so it’s likely to be on the Haas too. Or is it an in season edition? Difficult to tell how closely tied the two teams are. Also if Ferrari knew it was dodgey would they have put it on the Haas as well?

[overboost]

Mercedes tyre issues masked by power advantage for years - Symonds

"Formula 1's chief technical officer Pat Symonds believes Mercedes' tyre management issues have been embedded in the team for years, but masked by the manufacturer's big power advantage.

For the first time since F1 ushered in its hybrid era in 2014, Mercedes has failed to deliver a win in the first three races of the season, its W09 generally outpaced by Ferrari, while also outrun by Red Bull in China.

While team boss Toto Wolff insists its 2018 charger does not share the “diva” characteristics of its predecessor, inconsistent performance and tyres still appear to be at the forefront of Mercedes' concerns this year.

Is Ferrari the culprit for the FIA's exhaust blowing clampdown?
For Symonds, the issues are hardly new, believing they have been rooted in the team as far back as 2013.

"If you look back at the recent history of Mercedes, one thing that they've never quite got on top of is tyre management," explained the former Benetton and Renault tech boss who now works alongside Ross Brawn at the head of the sport's technical think tank.

"We saw it a lot in the pre-hybrid era when they didn't have the engine advantage they enjoy now. Then, if they didn't get their tyre quite right, they didn't have great races.”

"I think things were masked from 2014 to 2016, simply because they had this big power advantage.

"Then, last year we started to hear the car being called a 'diva'. What's that about? In my mind, the difference in performance you get from one weekend to the next is not really explainable in aerodynamics or vehicle dynamics or anything like that.

"With an aero/chassis package, getting your set-up just right might mean you're hoping to pick up a tenth or so from Friday to Saturday qualifying.

"But when you get a big shift, when suddenly you're not competitive, it has to be down to tyres. And if it's down to tyres it's down to not using them well and not getting the temperatures correct."

Tyres aren't Mercedes' only weak point according to Symonds who also underlined a few wrong calls made by the team on the strategy front.

"Strategically, they've also had troubles," he said.

"When you have a fast car and you're controlling the race, the strategy comes to you.
"But recently with Mercedes we've seen some... I won't call them wrong, but I would say some imperfect strategy calls.

“I think that's because there may have been imperfect calls before, but with such a performance advantage you don't really see them.""

http://www.f1i.com/news/301530-mercedes ... monds.html

[overboost]

So no more 'cool down' room coverage which I always rather liked, lots of great moments. And the on track interviews by Coulthard today seemed a bit awkward and forced.

[darwin dali]

No podium interviews

[overboost]

All those fans rushing to the podium at the Italian GP this year will have nothing to see.

[sagi58]

...So no more 'cool down' room coverage which I always rather liked, lots of great moments. And the on track interviews by Coulthard today seemed a bit awkward and forced.

I wondered why he was there... why he seemed to be chasing them down...
why he seemed out of place...

Yeah, it's a NO from me, too!!

[myownalias]

In all honesty, the podium, and now pre-podium interviews always seemed forced to me, I can take it or leave it. I much prefer the post-race interviews in the pen, as a TV watcher!

[sagi58]

In all honesty, the podium, and now pre-podium interviews always seemed forced to me, I can take it or leave it. I much prefer the post-race interviews in the pen, as a TV watcher!

I guess "most" of the adrenaline is gone by then and you get a more matter-of-fact reaction?