Poll: Official 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix Thread - Hungaroring, Budapest - Round 12

[Mr Jack]

I voted a 5. Hungary can give you these sort of stalemate races where they can't really get close enough to challenge. I think this track highlights that the "improved" airflow designs to allow closer following, isn't really working that well.

I take a different view. I think the rules for improved following have worked well, the trouble is that (1) there's so much DRS on most tracks that drivers prefer to hang back and breeze past in the DRS zones than work for a clever overtake elsewhere and (2) it hasn't fixed the cars just being too bloated for most of the tracks they are on. F1 cars need to be narrower and shorter. This should be their number one priority for the next rules update.

 

[Bug One]

Don't worry, plenty more drama to come at some point. Hard to gauge if it's going to be the Ferrari or Alpine drivers to really kick off first.

 

[Mr Jack]

Don't worry, plenty more drama to come at some point. Hard to gauge if it's going to be the Ferrari or Alpine drivers to really kick off first.

My money is on Norris/Piastri. Norris really doesn't like Piastri coming close to him, and that's only going to happen more as the season goes on.

Sainz/Leclerc seem to have a solidly professional relationship, and whilst Ocon does love running into his teammates, the two of them seem to have managed pretty well so far.

 

[KiNgPiN83]

Why didn't they keep to the same rules from 2021 as we finally saw two close teams fight it out?

Because they wanted these new cars that can apparently follow each other better. Which brings me on to another point, let’s have a race with no DRS just to check these rules have actually done anything.

I also don’t think teams will close the performance gap during the length of each set of regs like they used to now we are in the cost cap era. As now you can’t just throw money at the issue to fix your slowness. (Rightly or wrongly)

 

[Feek]

Because they wanted these new cars that can apparently follow each other better.

The cars can follow each other closer. Think back a couple of years and cars struggled to get into DRS range. Now they can do that much easier.

Doesn’t mean they can get past easier (apart from the RBs) but they do race closer together.

 

[jaybee]

It raises a good point actually. With these reg changes every X number of years, how much extra cost does this cause the teams in terms of developing a new car vs the actual savings the very reg changes are designed to make themselves? I would hazard a guess that the extra costs in man power, materials, R&D is going to outweigh the savings from the reg changes, or do they factor that in?
Unfortunately when 2021 season happened it was a perfect storm of various factors allowing such a closely fought season. Probably too many to go into here, but essentially the 2022 changes were baked in from years before, so teams can plan for it. The FIA could not suddenly turn around at the end of 2021 and say "ah guys 2021 has been epic, cancel all the reg changes and carry on" as much as that would have been cool. The teams will have already started work on the 2022 platform and adjusted budgets/manpower/R&D accordingly for the new reg period.

It's possible that 2025 - the final year of this reg period - may become a good one if other teams are able to catch Redbull. Time will tell really next season. There is a fear - as already mentioned above - that budget cuts will make it even harder to catch the top team during each phase. If by the end of 2024 season next year teams still look a way off Redbull, we could even see a walkover during the following 2025 season, the final season of this reg period. Teams may write off 2025 entirely as they focus on trying to ace the 2026 reg changes with the best base platform, since there will be more gain in focusing on that rather than throwing everything into 2025 and hampering potentially years and years with a lacking 2026 car. It's a difficult balance. Right now I think things are ok. There is plently of time to catch Redbull during this phase even if they are sand bagging.

 

[KiNgPiN83]

The cars can follow each other closer. Think back a couple of years and cars struggled to get into DRS range. Now they can do that much easier.

Doesn’t mean they can get past easier (apart from the RBs) but they do race closer together.

It would just be nice to see if DRS is still needed. Or whether it could be nerfed. Like limiting the number of activations or something.

I know it could be worse. I remember the days where someone would come steaming up behind someone else only to sit there until the end of the race/a pit stop.

 

[413x]

I'm a fairly recent f1 subscriber, so I come in here most races to try and get some insight to things I might miss out not understand as a noob.

What i get from these threads mostly is the same people every week.
Boring, pointless, more fun watching paint dry. Turned it off, fell asleep, going to stop watching and start watching xyz instead.

STOP WATCHING IT THEN!!!

I wish I could give it up! But it's like crack.
You want it, then you watch it, and it's ****, but you still come back for more!

Its mostly boring, quali is almost always better than the race.

I don't watch live often as I like skipping through the boring bits.
Hungary I turned off 5 laps in!

 

[413x]

My money is on Norris/Piastri. Norris really doesn't like Piastri coming close to him, and that's only going to happen more as the season goes on.

Sainz/Leclerc seem to have a solidly professional relationship, and whilst Ocon does love running into his teammates, the two of them seem to have managed pretty well so far.

What is going on with norris' attitude of late?
I've actually never really liked him myself as thought he seems arrogant. But recently he's been much worse. Breaking the trophy, his comments after. He seems genuinely bitter about max in the car. The "if max retires" wasn't a one off. He's saying it again and again.

 

[Feek]

But recently he's been much worse. Breaking the trophy, his comments after. He seems genuinely bitter about max in the car. The "if max retires" wasn't a one off. He's saying it again and again.

Lando and Max are great friends, it's banter.

The trophy break was an accident, Lando always does that, it's just that the trophy was a little closer to the edge than he realised.

 

[413x]

Lando and Max are great friends, it's banter.

The trophy break was an accident, Lando always does that, it's just that the trophy was a little closer to the edge than he realised.

I thought this too. Just seems a bit more "real" of late. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

 

[Mr Jack]

I wish I could give it up! But it's like crack.
You want it, then you watch it, and it's ****, but you still come back for more!

Tell me you've never taken crack without saying you've never taken crack

 

[Scam]

I thought this too. Just seems a bit more "real" of late. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

I think he's playing up to his joker persona a little too much now. Like he's realised how to play the game a bit more (maybe seen how it helped Ricciardo get another chance?), or maybe it's just subconscious now he's got a better car, with a touch of arrogance creeping in (but not much to be fair). I think he's misjudging it too often now.

His comments about Hamilton seem a little off as well, rather unnecessary.

"I know Lewis complains a lot of how amazing our car is and how bad theirs is but they don't have a bad car. And they haven't all season..."

"It wasn't [nice]. I know. Yesterday, Lewis complained of how tough it was finishing outside the first position. Try racing in 19th and 20th. He's never done that in his life. So that's the only thing that Lewis hasn't done in Formula 1."

 

[Mr Jack]

"It wasn't [nice]. I know. Yesterday, Lewis complained of how tough it was finishing outside the first position. Try racing in 19th and 20th. He's never done that in his life. So that's the only thing that Lewis hasn't done in Formula 1."

Particularly ironic when you notice that Norris' lowest ever finishing position in Formula 1 is 17th...

 

[Scam]

Particularly ironic when you notice that Norris' lowest ever finishing position in Formula 1 is 17th...

lol oh dear!

 

[Mr Jack]

To be fair, I can see how Lewis' complaints about driving the 3rd best car on the grid would come across as rather irritating to the rest of the drivers on the grid who've spent their careers in much worse cars.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Some salty drivers out there. He’s had a bit of luck sure, but he has been a stellar driver throughout his career, hence propelled straight to the top.

 

[jaybee]

Lando needs to rein in his outbursts and comments and stop butt munching Max I feel. Like George, I've gone off him a bit. I know all drivers have to be arrogant and like a moan, but Lando used to be pure. Lately he's made some silly remarks and has come across badly.

 

[413x]

Some salty drivers out there. He’s had a bit of luck sure, but he has been a stellar driver throughout his career, hence propelled straight to the top.

I'm finding the salt quite amusing.
Especially from Hamilton. Because he had the best car for ages.

Its easy to take your position for granted. We all do. But they are getting paid loads for a job many would kill for!

 

[KiNgPiN83]

They are all victim of being centre of the universe as they were growing up competing and i don't think that ever leaves them.