Formula 1 2024

[Iskaral Pust]

That pole for Perez was assisted by luck but there was some good skill there too.  And it shows how much randomness there is in F1: Verstappen is a dominant driver with a dominant car, but bad luck is a real equalizer.

For fans trying to actually watch the sport, these red flags interrupting races and qualifying for long periods are very frustrating. 

[Werthead]

Meh. Normal service resumed. To be fair, Perez did okay given the tyre offset was massive, he's much closer than last year, but not enough.

Interesting seeing the comments that now that F1 has this massive global audience it has to be very careful not to lose it through boring seasons with one team rushing off into the distance and one driver with them. The problem is that giving each team a lot of technical leeway is a spine of the sport, and the teams would never agree in a million years to a single spec (the only way to solve the problem). 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

22 minutes ago, Werthead said:

Interesting seeing the comments that now that F1 has this massive global audience it has to be very careful not to lose it through boring seasons with one team rushing off into the distance and one driver with them. The problem is that giving each team a lot of technical leeway is a spine of the sport, and the teams would never agree in a million years to a single spec (the only way to solve the problem). 

As one of the noobs, I do think it's reasonable to be concerned that one team and driver are basically the expected winner every week. Personally I see the beauty and art of what the drivers are doing out there, but I can also see why other noobs might get bored by it. You're right to say teams will never agree to basically have the same cars for every driver though it could be beneficial to close the gap.  

[Iskaral Pust]

Indycar already exists.  The variability in car development is part of F1.

A surprising win for Verstappen today starting from 9th on this track but that long opening stint on hard tires just sealed it for him.  Perez is racing well this year but still consistently lags Verstappen in lap times; no shame in that.  Mercedes outperformed Ferrari.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Can we at least fix the variability in food?

 

[Lord of Oop North]

On 5/8/2023 at 3:20 PM, Tywin et al. said:

Can we at least fix the variability in food?

 

Miami F1 is not for the likes of fans like you and I.

The intention is to fleece rich posers for every red cent. 

 

[baxus]

On 5/7/2023 at 12:15 AM, Iskaral Pust said:

That pole for Perez was assisted by luck but there was some good skill there too.  And it shows how much randomness there is in F1: Verstappen is a dominant driver with a dominant car, but bad luck is a real equalizer.

For fans trying to actually watch the sport, these red flags interrupting races and qualifying for long periods are very frustrating. 

I see that as part of the problem, not an equaliser. A team can do everything right - have a great strategy, do great pit-stops, base their moves on what's going on on the track only to have it all demolished when a driver at the furthest possible point of the track slides off track and hits the wall so safety car goes out or stewards wave a red flag. Sure, such crashes must have priority over the racing but it can really mess everything up.

On 5/8/2023 at 12:30 AM, Tywin et al. said:

As one of the noobs, I do think it's reasonable to be concerned that one team and driver are basically the expected winner every week. Personally I see the beauty and art of what the drivers are doing out there, but I can also see why other noobs might get bored by it. You're right to say teams will never agree to basically have the same cars for every driver though it could be beneficial to close the gap.  

Championship is pretty much over and done with, but #1 spot is not the only thing you can watch. There's a whole range of teams there and there's always something that's interesting. Sure, it would be great if we had Re Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari decide the championship at Abu Dhabi, but when you don't have that you get to watch WTF is going on with McLaren or something like that.

It's like football - there's a title race, competing for a European slot or a relegation battle. I don't remember a single season when all of those were boring.

[Iskaral Pust]

21 minutes ago, baxus said:

I see that as part of the problem, not an equaliser. A team can do everything right - have a great strategy, do great pit-stops, base their moves on what's going on on the track only to have it all demolished when a driver at the furthest possible point of the track slides off track and hits the wall so safety car goes out or stewards wave a red flag. Sure, such crashes must have priority over the racing but it can really mess everything up.

I agree with you on that.  The randomness is an equalizer but I would prefer a meritocracy where the best skill, strategy and preparation is successful.  It is a race, after all, not a demolition derby.  I do think adaptability and resourcefulness should be rewarded too, e.g. in challenging driving conditions.  But I really dislike when the race is interrupted and it confers some unearned advantage or disadvantage.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

5 hours ago, baxus said:

Championship is pretty much over and done with, but #1 spot is not the only thing you can watch. There's a whole range of teams there and there's always something that's interesting. Sure, it would be great if we had Re Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari decide the championship at Abu Dhabi, but when you don't have that you get to watch WTF is going on with McLaren or something like that.

It's like football - there's a title race, competing for a European slot or a relegation battle. I don't remember a single season when all of those were boring.

You're right, there are other things to look for and watch. It just seems like Red Bull's cars are so far and ahead that almost every driver could win with them. And then they also have the best driver. I root for dominance and greatness in sport, but a bit of parity makes it more fun, at least for me.

[TheLastWolf]

Imola's been cancelled due to flooding, no rawe ceek

Edited May 17, 2023 by TheLastWolf

[Werthead]

It does feel like every time F1 tries to break the record for most number of Grands Prix in a season, something happens to say, "Lol, no." The teams are also likely somewhat relieved that they won't have 3 races in 3 weeks again, as they seem to feel pretty strongly that's too much, and possibly dangerous.

[TheLastWolf]

Ok Ham, that wasn't the flying lap I asked for

[TheLastWolf]

Damn I was happy for Ocon

Happier for homie Leclerc to make it a 'trick

Fuck Happy af for Nando pole after 175 RACES!

Then came the jerk who made up 2 tenths in the last sector.

Merc strategy gonna rival Ferrari though. 

[Iskaral Pust]

With heavy rain in Monaco, it’s surprising that the chaos didn’t have more impact on the race order or cause many retirements.

Verstappen effectively earned his win with that qualifying time.  I’m still not sure how he squeezed enough out of the final sector to get pole.  It doesn’t get much attention but his tire management gives him an edge in races.  He went 50+ laps on mediums today, on a day when hard tires were the go-to for everyone else.  Even as those mediums were degrading badly, he was maintaining the gap to Alonso and had the strategic advantage, and then managed to keep the car on a wet track long enough to see if the rain was heavy enough to warrant inters.  Alonso would have been closer if he went straight to inters but it seems like Verstappen would still have covered.

Ocon took his chance well to make the podium; Russell must be kicking himself for that penalty — for probably his least egregious collision over the past year considering the visibility for that rejoin.  Perez had a weekend to forget, and dented his legend as the king of street circuits.

[Iskaral Pust]

A good amount of overtaking throughout the field at the Spanish GP, and no red flags or retirements.  A good race overall but zero hazard for Verstappen’s lead after the first corner.  Mercedes showed strongly today with their upgrades.

[Werthead]

This would have been an excellent race if Verstappen wasn't in it. His dominance is just getting silly now, which makes the rest of the season feel like increasingly a done deal.

The big story is the ferocious improvement in form from Mercedes after their last upgrade. If this wasn't a flash in the pan, they may have jumped right over Ferrari and Aston into second place (although it's always hazardous to guess at season-long form after a single race).

[TheLastWolf]

Le Mans is really chaotic fun, 24 hours over 91 editions over 100 years and this is my first serious watch. Giovinazzi Kubica Nasr Fittipaldi Button Kyviiat Fassbender and a lot of familiar faces, names...

Ahead of the Canadian GP, I nearly forgot what rain adds to a race. Hope we get to see Hamilton on wets at Silverstone 

Edited June 10, 2023 by TheLastWolf

[lmanion]

I haven't missed a Le Mans 24 in years it's always a good watch even if in past years the top class has been a bit barren the lmp2s and GTEs always put on a show right to the end. This year with the real start of the hypercar era was epic, hopefully a bit more development and some small bop adjustments will get all the other cars up to speed for next year.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Verstappen ties Senna at 41, doing so at a considerably younger age. Very impressive. It never feels like he's going to lose at this point if his car isn't having issues. 

[Werthead]

My goal of watching a full F1 race without falling asleep at some point has failed for maybe the fourth successive race this season.

Again, if Verstappen wasn't in it, it would have been far livelier, with a nice, stalking battle between Hamilton and Alonso up front and the entire field nicely tightened up, so nobody could relax at any moment. Great result for Albon, showing he has the skills he wasn't allowed to fully explore at Red Bull. Ferrari are really maddeningly inconsistent at the moment, even within race weekends, whilst almost everyone seems to have improved, with Alpine, Haas, McLaren and Williams all showing excellent form at different moments over the weekend.

The good news is that Verstappen's dominance was nothing like what it was earlier in the season, and his 10 second margin was flattered by Alonso's tyre management in the latter part of the race. If Aston Martin can find out what was causing the brake issue and fix it, they might even hope of catching Red Bull towards in a few races time, assuming that Red Bull don't have their own massive upgrades coming and this wasn't a race-specific quirk.