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Post by ChrisM on Mar 22, 2017 8:25:03 GMT
No predictions in here please, just comments/observations etc
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Post by Big Blue on Mar 22, 2017 10:12:25 GMT
I can send you the mad spreadsheet I used to do scoring at the end of last season if you like.
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Post by ChrisM on Mar 22, 2017 13:31:22 GMT
Thank you, any help is appreciated. I'll see if I can find out how to PM you my e-mail address
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Post by Sav on Mar 23, 2017 22:10:55 GMT
To say I'm excited would be an understatement.  |
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Post by ChrisM on Mar 24, 2017 7:52:53 GMT
Currently it's looking like a Merc-fest again with Hamilton walking to the title
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Post by humphreythepug on Mar 24, 2017 9:30:39 GMT
Yep after all the hype about Ferrari being the ones to beat, it appears that Mercedes are still the ones to beat and probably by some rather large margin too.
Bit pee'd off that the opener isn't on terrestial TV, looks like I'll be purchasing a NOW TV pass for Sunday.
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Post by Big Blue on Mar 24, 2017 10:52:26 GMT
Looks like I'll be getting up really early to be pissed off that the red cars are not winning.
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Post by Martin on Mar 24, 2017 15:28:45 GMT
I'm probably wrong....but it's only first practice, so the gap could close. Mind you, It was Mercedes that were chief sandbaggers last year, so it could widen.
As long as Hamilton comfortably outperforms his team mate, quietening th me haters a little, I'll be happy, for the first race at least!
Looking forward to seeing Melbourne after driving the circuit back in January.
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Post by Ben on Mar 25, 2017 7:26:49 GMT
Bummer, I forgot that it's back already.
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Post by Sav on Mar 25, 2017 22:29:43 GMT
It is surprising watching these radically overhauled cars at the limit. I suppose we’ll find out very soon about the quality of racing. However one thing is for certain, you’ve got to readjust your expectations watching F1 in 2017. I never complained about the “lesser” downforce of 2014-2016, I enjoyed watching the drivers being grip limited and the sliding being visible to watch. However one can’t fail to be impressed by the cornering speeds in 2017. They turn-in with such prodigious anger and get back to the throttle so much earlier; it is “arrive and drive” like never seen before.
This is highlighted by the camera at turn 11 struggling to keep the car in shot on a flying lap.
Despite the colossal downforce levels, there is a limit, and that limit is proving to be difficult to predict for the drivers. Between 2014-2016 they were grip-limited, meaning a little too much throttle risked spinning the fragile rear tyres very easily. This year the cars almost have too much grip for the power they have, so you won’t see as many oversteery moments coming out of slow corners, for example. However, high-speed balance shifts are catching the drivers out, as Ricciardo showed in qualifying. And because the cars are cornering so much faster, reacting and controlling the sudden slide isn’t a given. It reminds me of IndyCar racing on ovals, when it snaps, it’s gone long before the driver can wrestle it back.
Other stuff: I know that Palmer has had a tough weekend with his accident yesterday, but I don’t know how he will live with the superb Hulkenberg. The latter was fifth in Q2, and I know that Q2 doesn’t show absolute representative times, but that was a genuinely fantastic effort. I think that Palmer will be badly shown up by Hulkenberg in 2017.
Wehrlein unfitness for the Australian Grand Prix gave the opportunity for Sauber’s third driver Antonio Giovinazzi to drive in the event. Giovinazzi has adapted fantastically quickly, and would have out-paced his far more experienced teammate if he hadn’t had such a scruffy end to his qualifying lap. I’ve never thought that Wehrlein can truly succeed in F1, but Giovinazzi is a genuinely rapid Italian who needs be on the F1 grid. He could be like an Italian Verstappen, and we really need that.
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Post by Andy C on Mar 26, 2017 0:02:12 GMT
Nope, it's still shit. I tried, but gave up after 2 mins.
When I loved F1
This has probably been done to death, but it makes such a difference, even through a TV/phone/laptop
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Post by humphreythepug on Mar 26, 2017 6:21:42 GMT
I thought the race proper started at 7:00, so I sauntered downstairs at 6:30, popped the kettle on and fired up Sky Go (thanks to a log-in borrowed from my boss) on my tablet; bollocks 22 laps in!
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Post by Big Blue on Mar 26, 2017 7:13:42 GMT
Worth getting up for ........
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2017 8:04:49 GMT
Can't believe they were already lapping the slower stuff by lap 8 or 9. Ridiculous!
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Post by Sav on Mar 26, 2017 10:14:03 GMT
What Andy says is of course correct; the spine-tingling noise is still greatly missed by many. In a lot of ways that was the show itself, you couldn’t hear noise like it anywhere else.
As for the race, it was pretty good. Ferrari certainly put the frighteners on Mercedes, both on the track and through strategy. Not only is the Ferrari clearly an excellent car, it can follow in dirty air close enough to be a threat to overtake.
I don’t doubt that Hamilton didn’t like the handling on those tyres in the initial stint. However, he was pitted at precisely the wrong time. Mercedes should have monitored the gap to Verstappen and others, and only pitted Hamilton once the gap allowed him to exit the pits ahead of those cars running longer. There isn’t that savage drop-off with these Pirelli tyres, Vettel couldn’t quite overtake and if Vettel had done the undercut, he would be stuck in the same traffic that Hamilton experienced. Clean air is king even with fresher tyres, and now that these tyres don't drop off so severely, I didn't get the immediacy of Mercedes' pitstop.
It would be extremely interesting to see the Ferrari take pole and lead the opening stint, to see the true extent of their pace.
I really didn't like seeing spectators invade the track on the cool-down lap to the pits. That is unacceptable imo and is just asking for trouble. As a spectator I've never wanted to do that. I get about fan interaction, but there are many other ways to engage fans as opposed to having people loiter the track whilst cars are still circulating.
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Post by ChrisM on Mar 26, 2017 12:58:21 GMT
I don't know about getting a job as a journalist, Sav, maybe you should apply for Team Strategist
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2017 15:52:52 GMT
First race I've watched in a couple of years, and not live. Good to see Ferrari win, but not a thrilling experience to behold.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 10:55:08 GMT
Not exactly the most thrilling race in any sense but, Ferrari showed decent pace throughout the race. Some signs that Red Bull will be able to claw back some of the deficit later in the season from Verstapen's fastest lap at one point.
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Post by Tim on Mar 27, 2017 13:30:58 GMT
At least 'Da Ham' managed to keep his team mate behind him...just Ah but did he ever remove his sunglasses? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 17:09:53 GMT
At least 'Da Ham' managed to keep his team mate behind him...just Ah but did he ever remove his sunglasses? And is this a dig at Rosberg? "This year we have the best drivers at the front," said Hamilton. |
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Post by Big Blue on Mar 27, 2017 21:08:02 GMT
I thought the Hamilton on the podium and pre-podium was the Hamilton I'd like to see all the time. He was polite, said sensible stuff and didn't strut about. He's a great driver but Vettel was properly good as well. It should hopefully be an interesting season between Vettel, da Ham, Bottas and on some occasions Kimi and the Red Bulls (when Newey finds some way to cheat as he inevitably will).
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