British Grand Prix 2014, Silverstone - Race 9/19

ZG002 said:
That BS mostly. It's simply trying to bring a team back into the pack, it's hardly their fault everyone else is struggling to keep up. We sat through 4 yrs of Redbull before their wings were seriously clipped, they seem to be out for blood with Merc.. We are half way through one season ffs.
Click to expand...

Again it's nothing new but I knew people on here would try to make out it's some crusade against Team Lewis.

They did it to MS/Ferrari constantly
They did it to Renault.
Williams active suspension all singing and dancing car.
They did it to Mclaren after one race in 98 when they showed mega dominance.
They constantly chased down Red Bull, they didn't wait 4 years.

I'm sure there's plenty more, it's nothing new. Anyway people on here were frothing constantly at the mouth about interpretation of the rules with regards wing flexing. Well if the cars are running a form of active suspension surely you are all happy they are doing something about it. Or is the famous ocuk double standards depending on which driver you support? :p

Anyway Lewis fans should be pleased, allowing the gap to be closed might get some cars in between him and rosberg. If the races where closer reliability might not be such an issue. I'm sure Lewis would end up putting cars between them.
 
dannyjo22 said:
The only area that would bother me if clamping down on hybrid, that was the whole point of the stuff in the first place. Also Mercedes carried on with it while other teams ditched it. They deserve their time in the sun after taking the pain a few years ago.
Click to expand...

Ain't this the first year of using it? How have other teams ditched it?
 
Some of the success of the car this year has been put down to Mercedes not ditching KERS development a few years back, they kept plugging on when others ditched it. I can't remember exactly where I read the article on it but there was an explanation for why they were so strong on that part of the car due to continuing to work and innovate those systems.
 
Last edited:
The FIA will do all they can do pull Mercedes in. The pace that Mercedes are showing at the moment is embarrassing the rest if the teams. It is just a shame they didn't clip red bulls wings in previous seasons. I would laugh if they did this and it made no difference to Mercedes pace - everything at the moment is pure speculation and assumption.
 
dannyjo22 said:
I'm sure there's plenty more, it's nothing new. Anyway people on here were frothing constantly at the mouth about interpretation of the rules with regards wing flexing. Well if the cars are running a form of active suspension surely you are all happy they are doing something about it. Or is the famous ocuk double standards depending on which driver you support? :p

Anyway Lewis fans should be pleased, allowing the gap to be closed might get some cars in between him and rosberg. If the races where closer reliability might not be such an issue. I'm sure Lewis would end up putting cars between them.
Click to expand...
Yes but with most cars and all of the top teams using FRICS and only RBR with their flexible front wing, it's a rather different scenario.

It's not Lewis who needs cars between him and Rosberg, it's the other way around ;)
 
justbeats said:
Yes but with most cars and all of the top teams using FRICS and only RBR with their flexible front wing, it's a rather different scenario.

It's not Lewis who needs cars between him and Rosberg, it's the other way around ;)
Click to expand...

Exactly so when they tried their best to go after the red bull wings and blown engine they went specifically after Red Bull, this time they have targeted a bunch of teams but people seem to want to make this about Mercedes on here. It would effect all of the challengers to Merc as well, so you might well not even see that gap close that much. The hybrid stuff though would clobber them.
 
dannyjo22 said:
Exactly so when they tried their best to go after the red bull wings and blown engine they went specifically after Red Bull, this time they have targeted a bunch of teams but people seem to want to make this about Mercedes on here. It would effect all of the challengers to Merc as well, so you might well not even see that gap close that much. The hybrid stuff though would clobber them.
Click to expand...
Fair enough you have a point.

In regards to the Merc hybrid chucking out so much more power, what's going on there then? Have they found a loophole?
 
So...

Big wheels: much to my surprise they don't look bad at all really. However, Pirelli have said they would prefer to go up to 19" or even 20", which would look rather pimp-mobile. Also, isn't something like 50% of an F1 cars suspension travel in the tyres sidewall? It would require a big rethink on suspension to move to a larger wheel. Maybe there's a middle ground? 16"s maybe? And I doubt we will see glowing brakes as the teams tend to enclose them now anyway.

FRIC ban: yet more FIA fail. 5 and a half years to decide something is illegal, and then 2 weeks notice that they ban it. It doesn't sound like any decision will be made until the German F1 weekend either, so presumably everyone will turn up without FRIC rather than risk having a car that is deemed illegal with no time to alter it? If they decide it's illegal and ban it, fair enough. The issue here is the way the FIA go about applying their rules.

Mercedes power advantage: I don't get this? Apparently the V6s are on a par, but the ERS in the Mercedes gives them 110-130bhp more? How can that be possible with the output of the MGUK so tightly regulated? The motor can put out 120kw, or 160bhp. For Mercedes to have a 110bhp advantage either they are massively breaking the rules, or everyone else only has a 50bhp motor, which seems unlikely. I expect the reality is that the V6s performance is enhanced by the ERS better in the Mercedes. The difference can't be in the ERS alone, it's so tightly regulated the output of all 3 systems will be pretty much identical. Plus the whole thing whiffs of sour grapes that Mercedes are winning, just like the attention RBR got in recent years, and Ferrari before that, etc. F1 wouldn't be F1 if someone wasn't complaining that the team winning was cheating or somehow getting an advantage.

Massas "Mercedes go to slow on the formation lap" rant: lol, wut?

Exhausts: have we had any feedback from the Ferrari twin exhaust test? The FIA seem keen to keep trying, but I expect it will be like the big wings and stepped noses, and most people will stop caring before the FIA find a solution, making their efforts pointless.
 
Last edited:
PinkFloyd said:
Agreed with ZG002 - going to by mighty peeved if they basically neuter the Merc. Few years of flexible wings and such on the Redbull ignored, with changes to tyres to benefit them even though Ferrari/Renault were coping fine.... Then half a season of Merc being the car to beat and they want to knock it down? Atleast get to the end of the season before banning stuff!
Click to expand...

Red Bull wings weren't ignored. The tests were done static, they increased the loads, and still the wings passed the test. It was as much about the wake of the car than the wings themselves, and probably a combination of this FRIC technology too, but it seems even the FIA haven't been able to understand it.

The tyres were changed due to there being lots of tyre carcasses scattered around Silverstone. You saw the picture of Chilton at the weekend - you can't have that.

The teams can wait until the end of the season, but they all have to agree on that. If they don't agree, they run the risk of a team protesting the others, but there's not a clear-cut disqualification even if that happens due to the incredibly complex systems involved.

Mercedes will still have the fastest car. They and Red Bull seem to the most advanced aero setups (no shock there) but they've got a huge power advantage over the Red Bull. They might lose some of their lead to those following, but in reality it's only Williams who are in the same ball park and only at the last two races and who knows what the upcoming races will bring.
 
Last edited:
Yep.

While I'm not a fan of selectively giving bonuses to specific engines, surely the better aproach would be to give Renault and Ferrari the freedom to improve their engines, rather than peg back the team doing the best job? Being limited by the worst performing manufacturer makes a mockery of the effort Mercedes have made.
 
I had no idea about it until you mentioned it, apparently they did test it.
I could only find this picture though.
cy9qwc07jh47zedaftmm.jpg


Doesn't seem to be any audio/video, or anything written about it really. So I'm assuming it made a negligible difference.
 
Yeah it really is heading to single spec

If that happens that really is it for me. I support teams not drivers.
They always artificially stop front running teams. It reminds me of the mass dampener which almost lost Renault the championship

Without this tampering and vastly differing budgets it's hard to keep the field competitive without it being artificial.

On the wheels
I like the 18in rims. I think they look amazing. But i do like spokes/rims to be quite showy long as the brakes are a fitting size) I don't want 20 in on a Nissan Micra look!)
18 is big enough tho. Wonder what suspension system modifications will be needed
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom