2016 Formula 1 Season Thread

[BenTrovato]

You can't deny Ferrari's importance to F1 but they're sabotaging themselves and in the process taking the whole sport with them by taking a piece of the pie off the top. F1 has always been run like an underground boys club but as I've said before, the world is changing. People don't care for that the way they used to in the past. There has to be parity in competition, there has to be value for advertisers across the board, and there can't be a favorite team that takes 5% off the top. The sport needs to become more than one (or two) of its franchises.

 

[pachyderm]

Is this legit? I hadn't seen anything about Porsche sponsoring Willaims. If it is real, that is cool.

I also like the Haas pic upthread. That gold color would stand out on the grid.

FWIW
DLM
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Does Texaco even exist anymore? I like the color but i'm not sure how real this can be.

FWIW
DLM

the williams pic isn't real as far as i know. when i posted it it thought it was real... sorry. i liked the way it looked so i left it

 

[Apple fanboy]

For those in the UK, Massa and Clare Williams are on the Clare Balding show at 10 tonight on BBC2.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Looks like Kevin Magnussen is going to replace Pastor (can't drive for toffees) Maldonado at Renult. I think that's a good thing. I'm sure Pastor can find a motor sport to suit his style. Banger racing or NASCAR come to mind.

 

[CWallace]

You can't deny Ferrari's importance to F1 but they're sabotaging themselves and in the process taking the whole sport with them by taking a piece of the pie off the top.

One could argue - and many have - that a Formula One Championship without Ferrari present is not Formula One.

Looks like Kevin Magnussen is going to replace Pastor (can't drive for toffees) Maldonado at Renult.

Lotus used much, if not most, of Pastor's sponsor money for 2016 in 2015, but once they sold the team to Renault, Pastor's contract was nullified so Renault had no legal compulsion to keep him. Since Renault got what they needed from him already (the money), might as well kick him to the curb as all he would do in 2016 is cost them money in repairs.

 

[Apple fanboy]

First practice sessions next week isn't it?
Hoping to see Ferrari and Renault closing the gap on Mercedes to give us a bit more interest.
Especially if the wins are split between Lewis and Nico.

 

[BenTrovato]

Thoughts on the new Ferrari livery?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Thoughts on the new Ferrari livery?

Honestly? Not keen. To much white and not enough red.

 

[BenTrovato]

Honestly? Not keen. To much white and not enough red.

I tend to agree but I need to see it on track. I remember when I saw Force India's launch last year I thought the car looked great but on track it didn't look good at all.

 

[AustinIllini]

(Not to scale)

 

[Apple fanboy]

Don't think we will see much of the McLaren Honda. When interviewed recently JB said he hopes for lots of rain this season!

 

[AustinIllini]

Don't think we will see much of the McLaren Honda. When interviewed recently JB said he hopes for lots of rain this season!

We shall see, I suppose.

 

[Apple fanboy]

We shall see, I suppose.

Given the engine development rules these days, it's not going to be any different. Should be better in 2017.

 

[AustinIllini]

The Haas livery is a major disappointment, IMHO. There's enough red, silver, and black on the track. Yellow would have been brilliant.

 

[BenTrovato]

The Haas livery is a major disappointment, IMHO. There's enough red, silver, and black on the track. Yellow would have been brilliant.

I think overall, there are not enough colors on the grid. Everyone has gone with subdued tones and way too much black.

 

[zagato27]

The Haas livery is a major disappointment, IMHO. There's enough red, silver, and black on the track. Yellow would have been brilliant.

I'm kind of digging that "red/white & blue" patch on the side.

 

[pachyderm]

The Haas livery is a major disappointment, IMHO. There's enough red, silver, and black on the track. Yellow would have been brilliant.

EXACTLY! What a let down.
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(Not to scale)

no other angles available ?
[doublepost=1456142458][/doublepost]

[doublepost=1456142655][/doublepost]

 

[AustinIllini]

I actually kind of like this look for Manor

 

[pachyderm]

not bad. we've ween much worse haven't we?

 

[Apple fanboy]

So Vettel has been fastest on both days of testing so far. Of course you never know how turned up the Mercs are or what fuel they are carrying. I'd like to see Ferrari mixing it up a bit though.
Meanwhile McLaren are still 1.8 seconds off the pace
At least they are able to do a few more laps than last year. If they finished every race that would be a massive improvement on last season.

 

[BenTrovato]

So Vettel has been fastest on both days of testing so far. Of course you never know how turned up the Mercs are or what fuel they are carrying. I'd like to see Ferrari mixing it up a bit though.
Meanwhile McLaren are still 1.8 seconds off the pace
At least they are able to do a few more laps than last year. If they finished every race that would be a massive improvement on last season.

Wasn't Ferrari fastest on Day 1 last year too? It's just incredibly impressive just how many laps Mercedes continues to push out during testing. It was obvious during last season how much performance Merc keeps in the bag otherwise they could have won every race by over a minute.

Alonso's comments were very interesting saying that it's going well but they have a lot to unlock in terms of aero - no engine complaints. A lot of rumours about Honda pumping out another 200 horsepower over last years engine. If it's reliable and they are able to tweak their aero enough, McL-Honda could be fighting for 5th-6th at a few races. We'll see though. Nobody will tip their hand this week for sure. Next week's test "might" reveal something more significant.

 

[AustinIllini]

So Vettel has been fastest on both days of testing so far. Of course you never know how turned up the Mercs are or what fuel they are carrying. I'd like to see Ferrari mixing it up a bit though.
Meanwhile McLaren are still 1.8 seconds off the pace
At least they are able to do a few more laps than last year. If they finished every race that would be a massive improvement on last season.

I doubt any of the cars are running at full power. All things equal, Vettel is a complete beast of a driver and we all know it. Can't wait for real racing.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I doubt any of the cars are running at full power. All things equal, Vettel is a complete beast of a driver and we all know it. Can't wait for real racing.

Not long now. But yes I prefer the real thing to simulation.
Testing is like poker. Never really sure what the other bloke has.

 

[AustinIllini]

Not long now. But yes I prefer the real thing to simulation.
Testing is like poker. Never really sure what the other bloke has.

Especially when engineering is a huge piece of the puzzle. VET, HAM, and ALO would win everything if F1 were a spec series, I think. It's not, though.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Especially when engineering is a huge piece of the puzzle. VET, HAM, and ALO would win everything if F1 were a spec series, I think. It's not, though.

But who would win if they all had equal cars?