F1 2017

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F1 2017

Post by redcon1 »

I am a lifelong racing fan, especially Formula 1 (Probably one of the few hundred or so who follow F1 on this side of the Atlantic, haha). I am experiencing my annual high anticipation of what I hope will be an interesting season.

I've read some conflicting opinions on the new formula and the interaction between the larger tires and new aero rules. The cars certainly look better this year, IMO.

Looking forward to the first race... anyone else?
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Re: F1 2017

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

My heart is all a-flutter with sweet anticipation.
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Re: F1 2017

Post by scooter »

I am as long as there are:

1. Lots of exciting overtaking manoeuvres.

2. Plenty of competition without one or two drivers/manufacturers walking away with the title.

3. Less driver histrionics.

I've been following Grand Prix racing since the late 1960s but am less interested in it now in view of the above.

I have no problems with the bad boys like James Hunt, Ayrton Senna, Eddie Irvine, Michael Schumacher etc. but struggle to appreciate some of the current day 'celebrities'.

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Re: F1 2017

Post by triffidman »

As long as Vettel doesn't get his own way, I'm happy and thoroughly entertained - just love to hear him moaning about other drivers!
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Re: F1 2017

Post by Camberwell »

I very much hope we can see some more exciting racing this season, and certainly a bit less of the Mercedes dominance which made last year a bit too predictable (at least in terms of the championships).

However, it does seem to me that this ever increasing focus on downforce is going to detract from overtaking maneuvers, rather than add to the racing spectacle - I stand to be corrected though!
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Re: F1 2017

Post by redcon1 »

+ 1 on those three points, scooter!

Camberwell - I was hoping that overtaking would be better this season also, although early reports don't seem to support that fact. Anyone else see a mid-season adjustment to the rules to allow better racing?
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Re: F1 2017

Post by what-time-is-it »

I hope it will be a good year, although making cars faster doesn't automatically make it a better show.
I suspect I'll be underwhelmed, but still watch every race for the slight chance of some good action.

I'm sure Liberty Media will spice things up now that Bernie has gone, but the series will die if they don't make the on-track racing more interesting and less predictable.
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Re: F1 2017

Post by Tyke »

scooter wrote:I am as long as there are:

1. Lots of exciting overtaking manoeuvres.

2. Plenty of competition without one or two drivers/manufacturers walking away with the title.

3. Less driver histrionics.

I've been following Grand Prix racing since the late 1960s but am less interested in it now in view of the above.

I have no problems with the bad boys like James Hunt, Ayrton Senna, Eddie Irvine, Michael Schumacher etc. but struggle to appreciate some of the current day 'celebrities'.

scooter
1. The drivers are saying there's less chance of overtaking due to the increased width but also a bigger drop off aerodynamically which makes a car harder to follow than before - so less interesting moves but possibly more crashes due to frustrated dives into gaps that don't exist.

2. Merc or Ferrari nailed on judging by the tests - and possibly only Merc as Ferrari flattered to deceive in testing for the last 2 years, are they doing it again? Certainly no more than 4 drivers for the WDC, suspect only 2 if Ferrari pace genuine and only 1 if not, our mate Lewy.

3. Less histrionics at Merc, none at Ferrari but more at RB in terms of driver-driver spats. Plenty of histrionics at McL, but that's driver - team spats!

Reckon its going to be business as usual, Merc running away, dull racing and a dying Formula. Liberty have bought a pig in a poke!
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Re: F1 2017

Post by STodd »

Tyke wrote: 1. The drivers are saying there's less chance of overtaking due to the increased width but also a bigger drop off aerodynamically which makes a car harder to follow than before - so less interesting moves but possibly more crashes due to frustrated dives into gaps that don't exist.

2. Merc or Ferrari nailed on judging by the tests - and possibly only Merc as Ferrari flattered to deceive in testing for the last 2 years, are they doing it again? Certainly no more than 4 drivers for the WDC, suspect only 2 if Ferrari pace genuine and only 1 if not, our mate Lewy.

3. Less histrionics at Merc, none at Ferrari but more at RB in terms of driver-driver spats. Plenty of histrionics at McL, but that's driver - team spats!

Reckon its going to be business as usual, Merc running away, dull racing and a dying Formula. Liberty have bought a pig in a poke!
I really hope that's not the case Tyke...
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Re: F1 2017

Post by Tyke »

STodd wrote:
Tyke wrote: 1. The drivers are saying there's less chance of overtaking due to the increased width but also a bigger drop off aerodynamically which makes a car harder to follow than before - so less interesting moves but possibly more crashes due to frustrated dives into gaps that don't exist.

2. Merc or Ferrari nailed on judging by the tests - and possibly only Merc as Ferrari flattered to deceive in testing for the last 2 years, are they doing it again? Certainly no more than 4 drivers for the WDC, suspect only 2 if Ferrari pace genuine and only 1 if not, our mate Lewy.

3. Less histrionics at Merc, none at Ferrari but more at RB in terms of driver-driver spats. Plenty of histrionics at McL, but that's driver - team spats!

Reckon its going to be business as usual, Merc running away, dull racing and a dying Formula. Liberty have bought a pig in a poke!
I really hope that's not the case Tyke...
So do I, but all the tinkering, social media improvements etc won't be of any use if the fundamentals of the show don't improve. Processional 'racing' has no wow factor.
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Re: F1 2017

Post by jtc »

Mercedes have been running a derated engine in testing after discovering a fault on the dyno. Given the lap times and reliability, that's all pointing at another year of dominance.

That said, Ferrari are looking much better. They seemed to have ditched the emotional Italian approach and just dug in and got on with their programme. There's no doubt they'll have been running lighter on fuel at the first test, so I don't think they are as close to Mercedes as it looks, but certainly Vettel and Kimi will have a better car underneath them this year.

Red Bull have yet to show their hand. There are some incredibly refined parts on their RB13 that haven't had the corresponding front wing/barge boards/flow conditioners etc bolted on yet. I expect them to be racing well from the off at Australia. They've gone for a really slippery low drag approach so any PU deficit should be offset somewhat. Verstappen was also looking racey during testing, where you know drivers will have been jostling for track position.

Then there's the slippery Williams. Not very well developed, nor very well tested thanks to their bankroll, sorry driver, Stroll. They'll do better than last year, but won't be challenging for wins. I expect them to start work on the 2018 challenger the moment Paddy Lowe arrives, writing off this year. Massa will hopefully have a decent send off year while Stroll becomes the new Maldonado.

Mclaren look terrible. The car has plenty of clever bits but once again Honda have slipped up. They've finally eaten humble pie and admitted their PU design was rubbish and have copied the Mercedes design. Unfortunately, I think they're at about 2015 power levels with it. I expect Alonso to spend his season utilising the spare time after a race retirement trying to get Bottas' seat for '18.

The Torro Rosso looks fantastic. They've also developed some clever aero bits similar to Mercedes, including the "jacked up" front suspension arms. If they can develop the car well through the season, I'd expect them to finish ahead of Williams and Force India in the championship.

The Force India looks horrible, but is reasonably slippery aerodynamically. I'm not a fan of either of their drivers but it'll be interesting if the car goes pink after their latest sponsorship deal.

The Haas car is reasonable but it's very much midfield, like their drivers. They'll start strong thanks to all the bits they buy from Ferrari, but drop off through the season.

The dark horse is Renault. You can see they've spent a long time on this car, given last year's was, for want of a better phrase, a stillborn Lotus and undeveloped. Expect Magnussen to push Palmer along and ultimately come out on top. I think they'll be fighting alongside Torro Rosso for the "best of the rest" title.

Sauber, well, they'll be the backmarker team this year and without Manor to race against will just be rolling chicanes for the front runners to lap.

My money is on a Hamilton WDC, with a maiden win for Bottas early in the season. Hopefully come Singapore we'll see another win for Max or Danny Ric too. Unfortunately, I'm not sure Ferrari have got the racing instinct to take wins this season and although they'll be up there at the start, after losing several key members of staff, I don't expect them to be able to develop the car to keep up with Mercedes and Red Bull.

Then there's the Pirelli factor. They've finally made long lasting tyres - the race simulations have been really impressive in testing. Sadly, I think we'll see less aggressive strategies because of it. Think one stop and race management. The only hope is people using the 3 compound rule to try something different...
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Re: F1 2017

Post by Mikkei4 »

Remember what happened with Hamilton's car once racing started despite exceptional reliability in testing .. take all testing with a pinch of salt but I do suspect that Mercedes are not showing their full hand as usual.

I thought the changes were meant to make overtaking better so I'm confused that they now say that it makes following another car even worse...what with that and the additional width what's the odds of Verstappen taking himself and 1 or 2 others off early in the season?
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Re: F1 2017

Post by reggie747 »

scooter wrote:I am as long as there are:

1. Lots of exciting overtaking manoeuvres. Not likely.....

2. Plenty of competition without one or two drivers/manufacturers walking away with the title. Not likely.....

3. Less driver histrionics. Not likely.....

I've been following Grand Prix racing since the late 1960s but am less interested in it now in view of the above.

I have no problems with the bad boys like James Hunt, Ayrton Senna, Eddie Irvine, Michael Schumacher etc. but struggle to appreciate some of the current day 'celebrities'.
Care to more specific scooter ??? :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: F1 2017

Post by redcon1 »

jtc wrote:Mercedes have been running a derated engine in testing after discovering a fault on the dyno. Given the lap times and reliability, that's all pointing at another year of dominance.

That said, Ferrari are looking much better. They seemed to have ditched the emotional Italian approach and just dug in and got on with their programme. There's no doubt they'll have been running lighter on fuel at the first test, so I don't think they are as close to Mercedes as it looks, but certainly Vettel and Kimi will have a better car underneath them this year.

Red Bull have yet to show their hand. There are some incredibly refined parts on their RB13 that haven't had the corresponding front wing/barge boards/flow conditioners etc bolted on yet. I expect them to be racing well from the off at Australia. They've gone for a really slippery low drag approach so any PU deficit should be offset somewhat. Verstappen was also looking racey during testing, where you know drivers will have been jostling for track position.

Then there's the slippery Williams. Not very well developed, nor very well tested thanks to their bankroll, sorry driver, Stroll. They'll do better than last year, but won't be challenging for wins. I expect them to start work on the 2018 challenger the moment Paddy Lowe arrives, writing off this year. Massa will hopefully have a decent send off year while Stroll becomes the new Maldonado.

Mclaren look terrible. The car has plenty of clever bits but once again Honda have slipped up. They've finally eaten humble pie and admitted their PU design was rubbish and have copied the Mercedes design. Unfortunately, I think they're at about 2015 power levels with it. I expect Alonso to spend his season utilising the spare time after a race retirement trying to get Bottas' seat for '18.

The Torro Rosso looks fantastic. They've also developed some clever aero bits similar to Mercedes, including the "jacked up" front suspension arms. If they can develop the car well through the season, I'd expect them to finish ahead of Williams and Force India in the championship.

The Force India looks horrible, but is reasonably slippery aerodynamically. I'm not a fan of either of their drivers but it'll be interesting if the car goes pink after their latest sponsorship deal.

The Haas car is reasonable but it's very much midfield, like their drivers. They'll start strong thanks to all the bits they buy from Ferrari, but drop off through the season.

The dark horse is Renault. You can see they've spent a long time on this car, given last year's was, for want of a better phrase, a stillborn Lotus and undeveloped. Expect Magnussen to push Palmer along and ultimately come out on top. I think they'll be fighting alongside Torro Rosso for the "best of the rest" title.

Sauber, well, they'll be the backmarker team this year and without Manor to race against will just be rolling chicanes for the front runners to lap.

My money is on a Hamilton WDC, with a maiden win for Bottas early in the season. Hopefully come Singapore we'll see another win for Max or Danny Ric too. Unfortunately, I'm not sure Ferrari have got the racing instinct to take wins this season and although they'll be up there at the start, after losing several key members of staff, I don't expect them to be able to develop the car to keep up with Mercedes and Red Bull.

Then there's the Pirelli factor. They've finally made long lasting tyres - the race simulations have been really impressive in testing. Sadly, I think we'll see less aggressive strategies because of it. Think one stop and race management. The only hope is people using the 3 compound rule to try something different...
Wow, that is a detailed pre-season analysis! I appreciate your perspective Jon and can't add much.

I am glad, on a different note, that there is more visual differentiation between the Red Bull and Toro Rosso liveries this season. :clap:

Edited to add: I'm glad to participate in a forum where people actually want to discuss F1! (Look for my MotoGP thread soon :lol: )
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Re: F1 2017

Post by Harpy »

Love F1. Not a fan of Hamilton. Rosberg will be missed but made right decision yet fear Hamilton will take championship back. Wish Hamilton had the class that Button had; nice chap. Eagerly awaiting new season. Cars look great.
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