Formula 1 - 2022 Season

[Arwin]

Still it is awesome that the cars can drive close behind each other. But Ferrari are suffering from the lack of top speed a bit, and mostly still from more tire wear (from presumably more downforce which does make them fast in the turns).

And awesome top 5 steal again by Russel. Very well played, starting from 12th.

 

[Bludd]

we also saw some good moves by hamilton and at last a good late breaking move by danny ric, but overall mclaren were terrible today
bottas is doing very well, nice to see him blossom in another team

sainz needs to up his game
perez needs red bull to have a less unreliable car

alonso must have had abu dhabi 2012 flash backs being stuck behind gasly for 10000 laps - the pain is real

 

[Davros]

ferrari needs more vmax

No, he should stay at Red Bull

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Still some cool aero analysis (from B Sport) going on despite the seeming pittance of updates so far. Under four minutes, worth a watch. Highlights are Ferrari using a Guerney flap under the rear wing to reduce downforce (to help with bouncing or just cheaper than making a slightly lower downforce rear wing?), a comparison shot of both RB's and Merc's floors, and a slotted metal fin under RB's floor toward the outer rear (metal because it's scraping the ground? slotted for anti-bounce?).

Some interesting comments, too:

If the only problem is the floor is flexing too much it seems like somebody forgot to apply some "basic" maths. 10+ years ago they could already make their wings in such a way they would flex only under certain loads so I find it hard to believe somebody didn't do the math on a large exposed piece of floor to calculate how much it would flex when under a certain load.

Also why not simply reinforce the floor and see if that fixes the bouncing and unleashes some of the speed they claim there is? Of course the extra weight will have a impact on performance but if they can confirm that is the problem than losing weight elsewhere might be an easier fix.

 

[Pete]

If the only problem is the floor is flexing too much it seems like somebody forgot to apply some "basic" maths. 10+ years ago they could already make their wings in such a way they would flex only under certain loads so I find it hard to believe somebody didn't do the math on a large exposed piece of floor to calculate how much it would flex when under a certain load.

Also why not simply reinforce the floor and see if that fixes the bouncing and unleashes some of the speed they claim there is? Of course the extra weight will have a impact on performance but if they can confirm that is the problem than losing weight elsewhere might be an easier fix.

I noticed Max's Red Bull bouncing at the end of the race. I didn't notice it earlier in the race, like at the end of their first stint, so maybe it isn't simply due to losing tire tread depth. If the tarmac was as abrasive as was reported, maybe some of the floor (e.g., the slotted metal fin/vane shown in that B Sport vid) could have worn enough to lower the car into bouncing range?

I don't know how the cost cap affects people. Red Bull's previous modus operandi was to bring reams of test parts and spares to practically every race, tossing a lot of them into the bin afterwards. Presumably Merc and Ferrari did the same. Ferrari says their first real updates will be in Barcelona. Is that because building new parts is that expensive (and they've had to replace a few because of Carlos), or is the bottleneck windtunnel testing the new parts? Do they even have to run everything through the windtunnel before putting it on the car, or is "just" computer analysis enough for some parts?

I'd say the Merc and Williams may have more unsupported wing than other teams because of their smaller sidepods, but Haas and Ferrari also bounce, so is it just too flappy a wing or is it something else?

 

[Pete]

But Ferrari are suffering from the lack of top speed a bit, and mostly still from more tire wear (from presumably more downforce which does make them fast in the turns).

I thought greater downforce meant less tire wear (scrub) in the corners?

 

[Arwin]

If I understand the physics correctly then sideways movement in turns is the same no matter the downforce as you would never want to start sliding sideways, as that would lose speed.

Now with more downforce, you have more downward pressure which allows you to go faster before you slide. But this increases both the downward and sideways pressure on the tires, while still not sliding. And that would normally increase the tire wear.

If that makes sense …

 

[pharma]

Spanish GP: Lewis Hamilton 'super happy' with Mercedes progress as Charles Leclerc tops practice - BBC Sport

Lewis Hamilton hailed what he believes is a breakthrough with his Mercedes after a promising showing in Spanish Grand Prix practice.
Hamilton was third fastest, behind pace-setter Charles Leclerc's Ferrari and Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Hamilton said: "It is positive. I am super happy with the progress. We're not the quickest yet but I think we're on our way."
Russell said he believed Mercedes could retain their form into the weekend.
"I see no reason why we can't be as far away from the front [in qualifying] as we showed [today]," he said.

Hamilton said: "It is the first time we have driven down the straight without bouncing. We still have some bouncing but it is way better and we are starting to eke into the potential of the car.
"It is still tough but it is much nicer than it has been before.

"I am grateful for the upgrades. We just need to fine-tune them. I think we can get it into a better place tomorrow to tackle the heels of the guys up ahead."

 

[Pete]

I’m still trying to figure out why Max’s RB was visibly porpoising down the back straight in Miami toward the end of the race, after the safety car restart. They were much lighter because low fuel. Did that mean they carried more speed through the bus stop highway overpass chicane onto the straight and thus reached a higher speed? I don’t remember seeing it on the front straight, which I believe was at least as long, so was it induced by bumps in the road? Their tires may have been worn. Did they wear enough to affect their ride height? If that were the case, why didn’t I notice it at the end of the first stint? Maybe because the TV coverage was crap (that includes Crofty, who couldn’t tell teammates apart).

 

[Arwin]

Spanish GP: Lewis Hamilton 'super happy' with Mercedes progress as Charles Leclerc tops practice - BBC Sport

Tackle or tickle the heels … I’d guess the latter.

 

[Pete]

That race was half rollercoaster, half typical Barcelona. Wacky. I’m assuming Carlos lost more time than Max with his off, because their end results diverged enough to make me question Ferrari’s race pace (though Charles seems to think they’ve improved). Shame about the Mercs overheating, because I’d like to have seen the Russell tussle go on another ten laps. Seems like unusually large tire differences, so much so that the hards weren’t worth it on a 30°C air temp day and presumably 50° track temp day. Maybe new softs being 2s a lap faster than used mediums isn’t that wild, but it seemed like a lot.

Joe’s green notebook from Miami was a good, long read. I also found a potentially interesting race stats blog via a Driver61 YouTube vid: https://f1pace.com/

 

[Freemantle]

What a joke, get on with it!

 

[Jay]

Everyone from 7 down now has an engine spear, probably drove cars in limp mode.

Nothing can ever be done to make that track have a half decent race.

 

[AlphaWolf]

Everyone from 7 down now has an engine spear, probably drove cars in limp mode.

Nothing can ever be done to make that track have a half decent race.

The Haas float took some damage during the parade and Ferrari proved they have learned nothing about strategy in the last 10 years.

 

[Kaotik]

Ferrari has made a protest against both Red Bulls for crossing the pit exit line illegally when exiting pits

edit: protests denied

 

[Bludd]

Alonso trolled Hamilton, hilarious

 

[Freemantle]

Alonso was soo slow it just confirmed how bad the track is for racing.

Hopefully it won't be renewed and finally dumped from the calendar.

 

[Jay]

Hopefully it won't be renewed and finally dumped from the calendar.

Don't see that happening, only thing worth watching is qualifying and some race highlights

 

[Arwin]

I do hope they can find a way to allow overtaking a bit more though.

However I could live with just one race where overtaking is hard and for that to be Monaco, if and only if they make sure NONE of the other races on the calendar … [emoji16]

 

[Pete]

FIA: Max is champion, the public doesn’t understand the rules, Hamilton pay a fine for not coming to our party.
Also FIA: Masi fired, race directors will have less responsibility and more work and a guardian angel next year. Totally unrelated to last year.

FIA: We’re strictly enforcing all lines now.
Also FIA: Except pit entry and I guess pit exit because the race director has no authority now?

Bizarrely, Ferrari’s protest of Max crossing pit exit was denied because the race director’s notes for this race quoted last year’s pit exit rule, which was stricter than this year’s (“stay to the right” of the line vs. don’t “cross” it). Apparently the current rules override whatever the RD says (the opposite of last year, which sounds like an improvement until you realize either way is used to justify something after the fact, which is ultimately the same situation as last year: ambiguity of the racing rules). Does the FIA lack the funds to proofread their missives?

Whatever’s happening with Crofty that he can’t tell teammates apart has infected the RD/stewards, who “noted” Checo for pit exit infringement when it was obviously Max. Sloppy.

Good for Checo and (still strangely for me, though he’s behaved this year) composed for Max. Typically good Red Bull and bad Ferrari strategy.

Edit: Props to Gasly for pulling off two surprising passes on Zhou (IIRC) and Daniel after switching to inters. Props to the Monaco director for actually capturing them live, though I don’t think we saw Lewis pass Ocon live or the second contact between them (presumably after their contact at T1) or George pass Lando.

Props to Perez who apparently locked up early in the final stint avoiding a bird. Also congrats for resigning with RB (apparently he said to Horner “I signed too early” on the way to the podium). His cooperation in Spain probably helped his negotiating position. Could a signing confidence bump help explain his performance today? Endorphins are rad.

As much as I’m nitpicking the FIA for this race, it wasn’t the shitshow at the Champs League final. Not a good look to have the FIFA and UEFA bosses in the stands instead of helping solve the fan entry problem.