Motorsport Off Topic Thread

Mr Jack · 7 Aug 2020 at 10:35

I've read through the judgement and it all seems fair and reasonable to my eye (for all that means!). The reasoning applied to the Front Ducts seems legitimate - they are a continuation of the ducts taken from Mercedes but run on the 2019 RP car - and the argument that this does not apply to the Rear Ducts - because the 2019 RP Rear Ducts weren't based on the Mercedes' design - also seems legitimate. The penalty also seems fairly fitting for the infraction.

It's also interesting that they are permitting the ducts to be run for the rest of the season.

Danthus · 7 Aug 2020 at 11:43

So they are illegal but can carry on using them?

this_is_gav · 7 Aug 2020 at 11:46

chrismscotland said:
Fine and points deduction for the Styrian GP; reprimand for Hungary and Britain.

Interesting that Racing Point lost 15 points from the Styrian GP, yet only got 14.

Mr Jack · 7 Aug 2020 at 11:54

OldCoals said:
So they are illegal but can carry on using them?

No, they're not illegal. Racing Point broke the Sporting Regulations in developing them, but the ducts themselves are legal.

Danthus · 7 Aug 2020 at 12:12

So they used an illegal process to design something that is legal.

413x · 7 Aug 2020 at 12:14

Bottas resigned for 2021= Hamilton takes the 2021 wdc.

Mr Jack · 7 Aug 2020 at 12:17

OldCoals said:
So they used an illegal process to design something that is legal.

Yeah, essentially. Which is why it is a Sporting Directives violation and not a Technical Directives violation and thus why they are not getting disqualified. The car is legal; the team broke the rules to make it.

UTmaniac · 8 Aug 2020 at 11:27

Five teams now challenging the Racing Point punishment, including the glass house living horses.

Mr Jack · 8 Aug 2020 at 18:53

Watching Formula E quali in English, commentator: "they call him the Electro Schumi in the German press".

Watching the race in German: "the English press call him the Electro Schumi".

Uh huh.

englishpremier · 12 Aug 2020 at 04:11

It is said Spain is reaching critical situation with the latest COVID outbreak. At the moment it's at 5000 new cases a day. By the time of the F1 Catalonia GP it could easily be double that or higher. I do wonder now if it will go ahead, and if so, how many in the F1 circus are will be exposed.

Slam62 · 12 Aug 2020 at 06:52

Don't they travel in their own bubble? Presumably come into contact with very few if any locals.

ci_newman · 12 Aug 2020 at 10:07

Slam62 said:
Don't they travel in their own bubble? Presumably come into contact with very few if any locals.

There will absolutely have to be some locals though, for hospitality and catering. Catalonia is a massive heat-spot in Spain right now too, but I guess the teams must already be arriving on site so they must be assuming it goes ahead.

SoliD · 12 Aug 2020 at 10:13

Suspect most of the teams would have been there by late Monday, early Tuesday with the trucks etc. I saw the Hitech F2 going to Portsmouth Ferry port on my way home Sunday evening at 7pm. Anybody going into the circuit is covid free anyway, so I'm sure they will be fine and on an even higher alert due to the local issues going on.

SoliD · 12 Aug 2020 at 13:59

McLaren and Williams withdraw their protests against RP, Mercedes engine already in the Williams and McLaren next year, suspicious, nah...

MissChief · 12 Aug 2020 at 14:07

SoliD said:
McLaren and Williams withdraw their protests against RP, Mercedes engine already in the Williams and McLaren next year, suspicious, nah...

I'm sure there was some pressure applied.

ScoobyDoo69 · 13 Aug 2020 at 17:10

Banning of engine modes seems like a backwards step to me:
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2020/08/13/fia-set-to-ban-qualifying-engine-modes-from-belgian-gp/

englishpremier · 13 Aug 2020 at 19:42

Why do you feel it's a step back? I think other than in the wet, having the engines run in a consistent mode makes a lot of sense. No more Bottas is saving he engine, and Lewis ignore calls to do the same so he can attack him (made up example), or no more special qualy modes. Makes perfect sense.

CaptainRAVE · 13 Aug 2020 at 20:53

I will laugh if Mercedes end up with an even bigger lead. Their chassis is formidable now.

englishpremier said:
Why do you feel it's a step back? I think other than in the wet, having the engines run in a consistent mode makes a lot of sense. No more Bottas is saving he engine, and Lewis ignore calls to do the same so he can attack him (made up example), or no more special qualy modes. Makes perfect sense.

Half way through a season with no development time. It’s ludicrous. Why now after all these years?

I’m getting really tired of F1 and the FIAs constant meddling, changing decisions, shady deals.

Stu999 · 13 Aug 2020 at 21:25

englishpremier said:
Why do you feel it's a step back? I think other than in the wet, having the engines run in a consistent mode makes a lot of sense. No more Bottas is saving he engine, and Lewis ignore calls to do the same so he can attack him (made up example), or no more special qualy modes. Makes perfect sense.

Yep, I like the idea of running in a consistent mode. No doubt teams will push the limit.

Steampunk · 13 Aug 2020 at 21:46

englishpremier said:
Why do you feel it's a step back? I think other than in the wet, having the engines run in a consistent mode makes a lot of sense. No more Bottas is saving he engine, and Lewis ignore calls to do the same so he can attack him (made up example), or no more special qualy modes. Makes perfect sense.

What happens when Mercedes still ends up being the fastest and most reliable? You could end up with other cars either being very slow, or exploding their engines. This sort of knee-jerk mid-season change is the sort of thing we've seen the FIA do regularly, and it never works as expected because it's rushed and not thought out.

It's not going to look good if we end up with Mercedes lapping everyone twice.