Like one of those hand cars with only one person pumping the handle.
F1 Season 2024 - Pre-Season Thread
- Thread starter chrismscotland
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Lets see how they set Lewis's car up for tomorrow. I wouldn't gauge Mercedes's chances on Russell's day 1 performance alone.
Associate
It’s going to be hilarious seeing Sky try and sell this dead sport (competitively speaking) to the public over the next two seasons.
If Red bull dominate again in 2026 I think the sport will haemorrhage viewers at a rate not seen before.
Just cracks me up that they put so much effort into trying to boost the sports profile but still can’t work out a way to make their sport be competitive on track.
If Red bull dominate again in 2026 I think the sport will haemorrhage viewers at a rate not seen before.
Just cracks me up that they put so much effort into trying to boost the sports profile but still can’t work out a way to make their sport be competitive on track.
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Caporegime
Mercedes generally don't show much pace in the early testing sessions. Even when their cars were utter beasts, they weren't consistently topping the time sheets. Testing times are about fuel loads and setups as much as they are about car performance.
This is the thing, there are way too many variables to get anything meaningful out of it. There are 3-5 tyre types in play, various fuel loads, engine maps and all sorts. You probably can’t even compare team mates unless you know they are running the same setup.
Caporegime
End of day 1:
Bad day for Williams, with problems for both drivers. Russell largely made up for limited morning running after lunch. Max looks imperious, and Red Bull racked up the second highest number of laps too, beaten only by the sluggish Haas.
Verstappen, Red Bull, 1m31.344s, C3 - 142 laps
Norris, McLaren, 1m32.484s, C3 - 72 laps
Sainz, Ferrari, 1m32.584s, C3 - 69 laps
Ricciardo, RB, 1m32.599s, C3 - 51 laps
Gasly, Alpine, 1m32.805s, C3 - 60 laps
Stroll, Aston Martin, 1m33.007s, C3 - 53 laps
Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m33.247s, C3 - 64 laps
Alonso, Aston Martin, 1m33.385s, C3 - 77 laps
Piastri, McLaren, 1m33.658s, C3 - 57 laps
Zhou, Sauber, 1m33.871s, C3 - 62 laps
Sargeant, Williams, 1m33.882s, C3 - 21 laps
Russell, Mercedes, 1m34.109s, C3 - 121 laps
Tsunoda, RB, 1m34.136s, C3 - 64 laps
Bottas, Sauber, 1m34.431s, C3 - 68 laps
Albon, Williams, 1m34.587s, C3 - 40 laps
Ocon, Alpine, 1m34.677s, C2 - 60 laps
Magnussen, Haas, 1m35.692s, C3 - 66 laps
Hulkenberg, Haas, 1m35.906s, C3 - 81 laps
Norris, McLaren, 1m32.484s, C3 - 72 laps
Sainz, Ferrari, 1m32.584s, C3 - 69 laps
Ricciardo, RB, 1m32.599s, C3 - 51 laps
Gasly, Alpine, 1m32.805s, C3 - 60 laps
Stroll, Aston Martin, 1m33.007s, C3 - 53 laps
Leclerc, Ferrari, 1m33.247s, C3 - 64 laps
Alonso, Aston Martin, 1m33.385s, C3 - 77 laps
Piastri, McLaren, 1m33.658s, C3 - 57 laps
Zhou, Sauber, 1m33.871s, C3 - 62 laps
Sargeant, Williams, 1m33.882s, C3 - 21 laps
Russell, Mercedes, 1m34.109s, C3 - 121 laps
Tsunoda, RB, 1m34.136s, C3 - 64 laps
Bottas, Sauber, 1m34.431s, C3 - 68 laps
Albon, Williams, 1m34.587s, C3 - 40 laps
Ocon, Alpine, 1m34.677s, C2 - 60 laps
Magnussen, Haas, 1m35.692s, C3 - 66 laps
Hulkenberg, Haas, 1m35.906s, C3 - 81 laps
Bad day for Williams, with problems for both drivers. Russell largely made up for limited morning running after lunch. Max looks imperious, and Red Bull racked up the second highest number of laps too, beaten only by the sluggish Haas.
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Don
So how do you suggest they remedy this?
Aside from becoming a spec series, or implementing BoP, you are always going to have some teams that outperform others.
Soldato
What's your solution?
It's not really. 1.4 seconds out in front already. Pretty much sets the tone for the season despite people saying it's only testing. They have so much in the bag it's just ridiculous. Anyone who says times here are irrelevant when red bull are comfortably setting the pace are deluded.
Associate
Not up to me to come up with a solution is it.
If a team of experts within the industry can’t get it right how do you expect a random pleb on the internet to have the solution ?
They either find a long term solution that stops one team domination every time there is a new era of regs or watch their sport lose all the ground it’s made via the combo of covid/DTS and the 2021 season.
Sadly it will be the later
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Soldato
Way I see it, you either make significant rules changes more often which isn't compatible with budget cap and effort to save money. Smaller teams would not agree to that.
Or you keep the same set of rules for much longer allowing teams to catch up as we've seen in 21 but this may not go down well for "works" teams that use F1 as one of their main R&D tools.
Or you keep the same set of rules for much longer allowing teams to catch up as we've seen in 21 but this may not go down well for "works" teams that use F1 as one of their main R&D tools.
But the teams may have completely different test objectives, priorities and programs. They may be testing something very specific, with a full tank, and non optimal aero as proof of concepts etc. They may be lifting. They may not be going all out. They may need real world data to complete R&D on so many different things. I know this applies also to Red Bull and yes, they look quick, but Q3 on race weekend number 1 is usually the only place we can reliably see the top teams going truly all out.
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Soldato
Ahh the old moan at a problem without a clue how it should be done differently. Classic.
Red Bull have just been on another level with both Driver and the car design. Nothing F1 do can really stop that. It's up to the other teams to get on their level.
Associate
The irony is, if we'd kept the 2021 rules it would probably be epic now. RedBull and Mercedes were neck and neck, McLaren were getting there and Ferrari were let down only by their weak engine, which is now fixed. We could have had 4 teams going at it and they wouldn't have spent the millions on these new regs.
F1 doesn't half shoot itself in the foot sometimes.
Associate
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times in pre-season are irrelevant, just because RBR are top of the times does not mean that all the other teams were racing as fast as they could, anyone who thinks they are using this as FP or Quali pacing is deluded. this is used to see if the design teams were on the right track and also make sure the reliability is as expected.
Associate
So we can't moan about things unless we personally have the solution? Have fun applying that logic to everyday life lol
Saying it's up to the teams to get on their level is hardly a solution either is it given the differences in facilities, funding etc.
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Soldato
But you keep placing the blame on F1, not just moaning in general, as if it's those running the sports' fault that Red Bull have dominated. What more could those incharge do?
Associate
When it happens more or less every regulation change one has to look at the sport as a whole. It's not like it's a one-off thing, it's become a hallmark of modern F1. The only people who can change this trend are the people in charge, teams are already trying their absolute best to not be dominated by one team.
Do we just sit here for the rest of our lives saying 'well the others have to raise their level' when it's clear that it's not actually possible for other teams to raise their level sufficiently once one team has a head start in a new era of regulations... or if they do it's in the final season of the regs before it goes back to one team domination the following season.
Id be willing to admit there is no solution with F1 existing and operating as it currently does.
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