Poll: F1 2022 - Pre-season testing and discussion

Who will win the 2022 Formula 1 constructor's title ?


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Probably because it adds weight to the argument that Max's title is illegitimate.

If there was nothing wrong with the way that final race went down, there would be no grounds for Masi's removal.*

Horner can try and spin it as "Mercedes bullying" but the rest of the world (bar RBR and die-hard Max fans) know that it was a farce.

*Let's say "less" grounds for Masi's removal, because he wasn't exactly stellar throughout the whole season, it wasn't just Abu Dhabi.
I believe there were other teams that, while not publicly calling for his removal agreed behind closed doors that his position was untenable. It wasn’t just Mercedes.
 
I believe there were other teams that, while not publicly calling for his removal agreed behind closed doors that his position was untenable. It wasn’t just Mercedes.

I would be very surprised if that wasn't the case, which makes Horner's comments even more foolish — https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/60651647

BBC Article said:
Christian Horner accuses Mercedes of 'bullying' behaviour leading to Michael Masi's removal

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has accused rivals Mercedes of "bullying" behaviour resulting in the exit of race director Michael Masi.

Horner has questioned the FIA's removal of Masi in the wake of the controversy over last year's title decider.

"Was it right to fire him based on pressure that was placed on him from a rival team? That for me was wrong," Horner said.

"That's tantamount to bullying. It's passively aggressive."

Horner's remarks, made in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, are a reference to Mercedes, whose driver Lewis Hamilton refused to commit to coming back to Formula 1 this season until he had seen the results of the FIA's inquiry into the race in Abu Dhabi.
 
I believe there were other teams that, while not publicly calling for his removal agreed behind closed doors that his position was untenable. It wasn’t just Mercedes.
Most pundits agreed his position was untenable. Ignoring whether what he did was right or wrong, or followed the rules, or didn't... the mess that he caused and the trust he broke with the drivers made his position untenable. You only have to listen back to the radios from other drivers to see that, like Ricciardo "that was ****ed up". Put that together with what was essentially a ****show of decisions all throughout the season, there was just no way he could have remained in that position.

Horner, as usual, needs to wind his neck in.
  1. RBR harassed Masi far more than other teams throughout the season, this was plain to see (why do you think CH earned his nickname..)
  2. Hamilton wasn't passive-aggressive to anyone in the break. He didn't "refuse to confirm" if he was coming back. He's said all along he simply took time out to process what had happened. The media made up the rest.
Honestly with Max showing 'intent' with his 6 year contract.. well I think he just saw the money. If someone said to me we'll pay you £40m/yr and it doesn't matter what the result... yes please sign me up and I'll retire when I'm 30. Most agree we've just come through a period of F1 where one team has dominated more, and longer, than ever before. For Max to sign up to essentially do the same with RBR is highly optimistic... For any team to be that dominant again, for so long, is highly optimistic..

If anything I hope RBR have missed the point of any Mercedes 'talks' behind the scenes. If I were Toto I'd be spending my time ensuring that drivers that run others off the track are penalised properly even if they are called Max. If that's done as it should be, we'll barely see a MV overtake all season.. :o
 
Could it be read into Horners comments that he is perhaps on the defensive already and the car is not where they expected it to be after the first test? We know he talks more trash when he's under pressure.
 
So, to get back on topic, this week's test is going to more interesting, for a start it is live on tv. Also what improvements each team have made to prevent bouncing, those who suffered from it, and the performance of the tyres on longer runs..
 
So, to get back on topic, this week's test is going to more interesting, for a start it is live on tv. Also what improvements each team have made to prevent bouncing, those who suffered from it, and the performance of the tyres on longer runs..


There is no quick cure to porpoiseing, to fully cure it requires basically full chassis floor redesign.

A quick fix we might see, is just increase ride height, but that then brings all sorts of other issues, as obviously increasing ride height on cars that depend far more on ground effect now, kind of defeats what you are trying for, which is to run as stiff and low as possible.

Also lifting ride height even by a few mm can kill laptimes by several tenths, so I highly doubt many teams will increase ride height, as if you tell a driver, we can get rid, or at least decrese the bouncing, but you will be half a second a lap slower, none will say ok lets do that.

So pretty sure we will still see a lot of it.

In fact on some circuits even more so than at Barcelona, as that is a very smooth track compared to many.

Obviously on bumpy tracks where ride height varies more then the issue of porpoiseing will be even worse, if not, in some cases positively dangerous.

I worry that as teams will be unlikely to sacrifice performance for safety, (read reduction in porpoiseing) I suspect the FIA might have to step in at some point and mandate the reintroduction of a plank underneath, obviously that will slow the cars drastically and no one wants to see that really.
 
I predict it'll be a thing of the past very soon, these cars are going to improve a huge amount.

For what it's worth I think it's going to be all about tyre management.


It takes many months to redesign and build new chassis.

Last time F1 had serious porpoiseing issues, the solution was active suspension, obviously not an avenue that can be used this time.

Tyre management will be heavily linked to the rest.

If you have porpoiseing, tyres will degrade faster.

Bumpier the track, more the porpoiseing.
 
It takes many months to redesign and build new chassis.

Last time F1 had serious porpoiseing issues, the solution was active suspension, obviously not an avenue that can be used this time.

Tyre management will be heavily linked to the rest.

If you have porpoiseing, tyres will degrade faster.

Bumpier the track, more the porpoiseing.
I've been wrong before, my view remains the same for what it's worth, springs , dampers and wing angles.
Analysis of dynamic systems should be a lot better now, blimey they've had what is it 4 days of testing a whole new concept, long long way to go yet.
 
I've been wrong before, my view remains the same for what it's worth, springs , dampers and wing angles.
Analysis of dynamic systems should be a lot better now, blimey they've had what is it 4 days of testing a whole new concept, long long way to go yet.


I agree, it will get sorted, just that from my knowledge of the work needed, I would suspect it will be 6 months maybe more, before everyone has a long term solution onboard.

The whole suspension is far simpler now than last few years, and due to limitations there is not a massive scope for correction that way, small adjustments in springs, dampers and wing angles will not overcome this fully, there are large scale major redesigns of entire chassis needed in some cases.

Also as I have said before, limitations on amount of time allowed in wind tunnels now, and limitations on speeds the tunnels can run at, will hinder development times.
Porpoiseing, by its very nature happens more at higher speeds, those higher speeds that now cannot be simulated in wind tunnels.

So almost all the testing and development will need to be on track, and the only time for that now, is during GP weekends.
 
It's going to be terribly amusing to me when TPTB finally work out that active ride was the solution all along.

...

Well, 'amusing' or 'infuriating beyond mortal comprehension'. It could go either way.
 
I've been wrong before, my view remains the same for what it's worth, springs , dampers and wing angles.

Springs and dampers could solve this, I'm pretty sure, but I'm less sure that the ultra-restrictive rules around suspension this year allow it.

I'm expecting a significant rule change to allow teams to solve this a few races into the season. As it stands I think it is dangerous.
 
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Yes there has been calls for active suspension to be made legal again, however I doubt it will be being this close to a season's start. I could see teams that don't have the bouncing issue protesting about it. As for the tyres, and although they'll still overheat, and from what I understand, they are designed so that the overheating doesn't cause such permanent damage and after a period of cooling down they should be good to go again...
 
Haas have had shipping problems getting their stuff there for the test, and will miss the first session on Thursday. Pietro will be in the car for the afternoon session. Looks like Mick misses yet more running. Their grand reset isn't off to the best start, is it?
 
Lots of rumours that merc are bringing a car with "no sidepods" to the next test but it could just be mixed up with them drawings scarbs did of the alpine with no pods.
 
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