The F1 Thread

[Kenny]

Will be interesting.

Max seems to be annoyed with the new regs
Lewis seems delighted
Lando giving no shits at the moment

I really hope the Ferrari starts are a genuine advantage as they could cause chaos if they have a poor quali

 

[jlo]

Wonder if it'll be as dramatic as the Renault starts back in the day. It was entertaining as a mid season development but whilst I used to get excited about the season, this year feels quite inauthenic at the moment with things like this. I'll still get up for it though...

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Quite looking forward to a couple of afternoons flopped on the sofa in front of Channel 7 (I think). The rest of the season is a long old slog of late nights or very early mornings. Singapore, Japan and China aren't too bad I suppose.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Oh wow. Mercedes were sandbagging!

Everyone going round in FP3 at very close pace, with the Ferrari a tiny bit ahead of the McLaren. Then Russell does his last lap and without trying is 0.8 seconds ahead. That is eons quicker in F1 terms.

Shame Antonelli totalled his Merc. Very unlikely to make quali as it looked properly second hand with half the arse spread over Melbourne.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Max bins it in Q1

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Yep - the Merc is a mile clear of everyone.

 

[Kenny]

Shame Antonelli totalled his Merc. Very unlikely to make quali as it looked properly second hand with half the arse spread over Melbourne.

Top work Merc to get him fixed and for Kimi to put it in 2nd.

That gap between Merc and the rest is mental.
Lot of work to do down the grid or else its a dominant season incoming. At least the gap between the rest in the top 10 is normal.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Excellent drive by Hadjaar. Lindblad looks very good for a baby as well.

On the other side of the coin, the Ferrari had better have its rocket launch plugged in as they are a bit down. The Aston Martin is a pig in lipstick.

Audi looked decent for a first ever run-out.

 

[Nando]

These regulations are shambolic.

We've got one team who are a country mile clear with an engine that everyone knows is beyond the intent of the regulations.

Turn 9/10 here is one of the spectacles of the season and they're coasting 150m before the apex in Q3. Legendary corners like Maggots, Eau Rouge, Degna, Parabolica, the Suzuka esses are going to be nothing more than regen zones.

 

[jlo]

These regulations are shambolic.

We've got one team who are a country mile clear with an engine that everyone knows is beyond the intent of the regulations.

Turn 9/10 here is one of the spectacles of the season and they're coasting 150m before the apex in Q3. Legendary corners like Maggots, Eau Rouge, Degna, Parabolica, the Suzuka esses are going to be nothing more than regen zones.

I less mind the engine innovative solution, other teams with a Merc engine may still catch up, but the electric boost is such an artificial element. For god's sake just give them bigger batteries and unlimited power, or whatever it is that stops it cutting off.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It sounds TERRIBLE in car. You think driver a has a problem but he is just harvesting.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Piastri bins it on the lap to the grid. One extremely second-hand McLaren.

Australian TV is instant sackcloth and ashes.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Bloody hell the launch of the Ferrari is immense.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

More overtakes in ten laps than most races last year.

 

[jlo]

Well, it's certainly more exciting but it's still feeling a bit inauthenic. Let's see how things settle in a couple of races time.

 

[jlo]

I like Lindblad, looks like a proper talent.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Interesting. If Ferrari hadn't dropped a bollock by not pitting under the VSC, they would have been pretty close to the mercs.

 

[PuntsWolf]

They lost 8 seconds not using VSC and the gap was 19 seconds on a faster strategy. They wouldn’t have been remotely close - IMO of course. Track position would have been doing a lot of heavy lifting.

 

[PuntsWolf]

It was a bit wacky races at the start. But we’ve had years or DRS trains, unable to follow, protecting tyres etc. So anything to get rid of that.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

They lost 8 seconds not using VSC and the gap was 19 seconds on a faster strategy. They wouldn’t have been remotely close - IMO of course. Track position would have been doing a lot of heavy lifting.

They were ahead at that point and Russell couldn't stick ahead of Leclerc in the early running before Hadjar's engine went pop. It would certainly have been interesting if Ferrari had pitted one to sit in front of the mercs and the other had tried to bolt off into the distance.

No doubt whatsoever though that the Merc is the quickest car without any traffic.