2015 Formula 1 Season

[Alferd Packer]

As for F1, I would love to see a GP at Daytona on the road course. It probably would need very little work to bring it up to FIA spec. I just wonder if the F1 cars could handle going around that oval at the truly insane speeds they could reach.

Well the oval curve at Indianapolis caused the 2006 fiasco.

The corners at Indy have a 9 degree bank to them. The corners at Daytona have a 31 degree banking. I'm more worried about the g forces on the driver when they hit 240 mph going through the banking, then get DRS on the tri-oval.

[Alferd Packer]

And on the lighter side, dickbutt on the Ferrari cars.

[Irbis]

Butts

[Thanas]

Boooooring race.

Most exciting thing was the guys trying to fit that car through that hole and taking the wrong angle.

Still, at this rate it looks like Mercedes have a higher domination than Red Bull ever did.

[atg]

What on earth is up with Rosberg's whinging after the race? If you think the car in front is going too slow you overtake. When Hamilton was asked to increase the pace he nailed the deltas near perfect so he was obviously running to a plan.

I think Rosberg's realising that he's soon to be a clear number two to Hamilton and its getting to him.

[Irbis]

As for F1, I would love to see a GP at Daytona on the road course. It probably would need very little work to bring it up to FIA spec. I just wonder if the F1 cars could handle going around that oval at the truly insane speeds they could reach.

For what it's worth, the returning Mexico GP track does have oval, though cut by chicane...

What on earth is up with Rosberg's whinging after the race? If you think the car in front is going too slow you overtake. When Hamilton was asked to increase the pace he nailed the deltas near perfect so he was obviously running to a plan.

The argument is that LH slowed down deliberately to keep Rosberg in dirty air and ruin his tyre management. This also put Rosberg in range of Vettel who almost managed to overtake him in pits and could have built a gap if not desperate covering pit from Rosberg himself. The fact that LH effortlessly increased pace after Rosberg pitted does show there is a point in accusation, in fact.

Who is to blame depends on your philosophy, though, if you believe 'every racer for himself' LH was right, if you believe racers shouldn't knowingly jeopardise team effort then LH almost gifting higher podium step to Vettel is very much foul play.

As for overtaking, how many times you saw anyone overtake? Here, it's very risky, just look at Button vs Maldonaldo. Or several other near contacts. Didn't the race end up in almost perfect team divide procession, in fact?

[atg]

The argument is that LH slowed down deliberately to keep Rosberg in dirty air and ruin his tyre management.

Which is completely ridiculous. As Hamilton pointed out Rosberg was around 3 seconds behind, and the gap wouldn't be causing a problem. Anyway - if he's slowing down, then he's letting Rosberg get closer to him and Rosberg could try an undercut on Hamilton or overtake.

It was clear from the radio messages that the second stint was originally planned to be on the mediums not the softs. As Brundle pointed out in sky commentary - the Mercs didn't do a stint as long as the second one on softs in free practice - Hamilton would have been having to guess pace to make the tyres last.

Note also that when the team asked Hamilton to speed up, he did so and nailed the deltas perfectly. There were 5-6 laps of this increased pace before Rosberg pitted, and... Rosberg wasn't able to keep up.

Who is to blame depends on your philosophy, though, if you believe 'every racer for himself' LH was right, if you believe racers shouldn't knowingly jeopardise team effort then LH almost gifting higher podium step to Vettel is very much foul play.

Prove that Hamilton was doing it deliberately first. 'Foul play' isn't going slower on the track anyway. Foul play is doing something underhanded where the other guy cant do anything in response, like causing a yellow flag during quali on the final runs... If Hamilton was going "too slow" then Rosberg should grow a pair and do something about it on track rather than bitching to the team, what happened to the spirit that led to races like Bahrain last year?

As for overtaking, how many times you saw anyone overtake?

Off the top of my head the following drivers did overtakes: Maldonado, Ricciardo, Button, Kvyat, Verstappen, probably more...

Here, it's very risky, just look at Button vs Maldonaldo.

Its too risky at china? Really? With two nice long straights with drs? Overtaking is such a fundamental part of racing that Im not entirely sure you're not just trying to troll...

[Captain Seafort]

Boooooring race.

Most exciting thing was the guys trying to fit that car through that hole and taking the wrong angle.

I wouldn't go that far - it was a procession up front, but there were some good scraps further down the field, including some great work by Verstappen.

As for overtaking, how many times you saw anyone overtake? Here, it's very risky, just look at Button vs Maldonaldo. Or several other near contacts. Didn't the race end up in almost perfect team divide procession, in fact?

Verstappen was overtaking people left and right, Button and Maldonado swapped places several times without issue before their shunt and Ricciardo had a few good passes. Rosberg was just grumpy that he'd been beaten again.

[Alferd Packer]

Man, one or two more laps and Kimi would have had it. Still, good GP. I wonder why the Mercs' brakes went?

[atg]

I heard they made a massive setup change in 3rd practice and didn't have time to properly bed it in. The brake issue could be the result. Bahrain isn't particularly hard on brakes is it? I'd hate to think what their brakes would be like in Canada if its a fundamental issue - shades of last year.

[Irbis]

So sad, and I never was Alonso fan to be honest...

Props to Vettel, Ferrari picked wrong car to fuck up

[Alferd Packer]

Jules Bianchi has passed away.

Very sad, but this was basically inevitable.

[atg]

Probably the best for his family but still heartbreaking.

The crash was sickening so I don't think there was ever any real hope for him unfortunately.

[Thanas]

Huge loss, he was the only driver in recent memory who got to the big league based on pure talent.

[Alferd Packer]

Now THAT's how you start your summer break. Seb ran a great race, the Red Bulls and McLaren seem to have discovered the gas pedal, and the Mercs ran like shit and got what they deserved.

I imagine that Mercedes will work exclusively on improving their standing starts before Spa. Two grands prix in a row where they got swamped? That's absurd.

[Captain Seafort]

McLaren seem to have discovered the gas pedal

Especially a day after Alonso seemed to be demonstrating a faster and more reliable source of power than the Honda.

[Irbis]

Ceremony

[SpottedKitty]

And probably an investigation into Hulkenberg's front wing; they're not supposed to just fall off like that so the car can eat it and go wheeeeeethataway... <thud>.

Lucky for Hamilton, though, having the safety car just then pretty much saved his bacon on the championship board.

About time Kvyat had a podium, too — now that's a bit more of the form he was showing last year.

[Captain Seafort]

Lucky for Hamilton, though, having the safety car just then pretty much saved his bacon on the championship board.

Hardly. He was doing pretty well by himself to pull himself out of the hole he dug on the first lap, and at least limit the damage. If anything the safety car made matters worse, because it led to the shunt with Ricciardo. The biggest stroke of luck he had was when Ricciardo and Rosberg drove into each other.

[Lord Pounder]

I'm pretty sure Maldonado was taught to race by Ricky Bobby.

[SpottedKitty]

I'm pretty sure Maldonado was taught to race by Ricky Bobby.

Heh, yes, that's the most oopses I can remember one driver piling up in one race before. It just wasn't his day.

[Alferd Packer]

Both Lotus drivers apparently are halfway to a race ban, each having 6 points on his Super license.

[Thanas]

Maldonado should have been banned long ago.

[SpottedKitty]

Maldonado should have been banned long ago.

I'm beginning to think that way as well. Wasn't he the cause of a pretty spectacular crunch — right in the middle of the pit straight — that totally changed the last few laps of a race, in one of the night races a few years back? Can't remember exactly where or when.

[Thanas]

Bulldozer Maldonado has had three years of endangering others, but because he got the Venuzuelan oil industry behind him which will always buy him a seat he is still racing over much bigger talent.