2020 set to be better or worse than 2019..?
Discussion
This has been a surprising and welcome season, I've watched each race live and there are only a couple I haven't been rewarded for watching - and even the duller races have at least moved on some pretty interesting 2019 storylines.
Is 2020 set up to be more of the same? Or even better?
My thoughts are..
In 2020's favour is that Red Bull have improved dramatically, Ferrari have also got back on top of their car design a little it seems, so the 'tight at the top' fun we have had this year, looks set to get even tighter. As in fact could the midfield.
Also in 2020's favour, if McLaren continue to improve at a similar rate to this season, that's going to please a lot of members on here no doubt.
I'm very keen to see how the Leclerc/Vettel story develops next year... Whatever tensions we have seen this year I can imagine increasing next year.
I'm really looking forward to Zandvoort and at least mildly looking forward to Hanoi.
The only reason I can imagine it being a lesser season overall would be simple luck/circumstance. IE: No interesting weather, near misses instead of shock race changing incidents & an early conclusion each of the seasons various battles. Other than it just not working out as entertaining as it should - I think everything is lined up quite nicely for 2020
Is 2020 set up to be more of the same? Or even better?
My thoughts are..
In 2020's favour is that Red Bull have improved dramatically, Ferrari have also got back on top of their car design a little it seems, so the 'tight at the top' fun we have had this year, looks set to get even tighter. As in fact could the midfield.
Also in 2020's favour, if McLaren continue to improve at a similar rate to this season, that's going to please a lot of members on here no doubt.
I'm very keen to see how the Leclerc/Vettel story develops next year... Whatever tensions we have seen this year I can imagine increasing next year.
I'm really looking forward to Zandvoort and at least mildly looking forward to Hanoi.
The only reason I can imagine it being a lesser season overall would be simple luck/circumstance. IE: No interesting weather, near misses instead of shock race changing incidents & an early conclusion each of the seasons various battles. Other than it just not working out as entertaining as it should - I think everything is lined up quite nicely for 2020
I have really enjoyed 2019 - but think that 2020 could be even better.
The huge points differences between the podium places is tending to distort the championships, but individual races have been good.
3 cars capable of wins is fantastic, the yawning gap to McLaren in 4th shows how important it is to get things right for 2021.
The huge points differences between the podium places is tending to distort the championships, but individual races have been good.
3 cars capable of wins is fantastic, the yawning gap to McLaren in 4th shows how important it is to get things right for 2021.
The Moose said:
2019 was a great season and will be tough to beat. It wasn’t particularly tight at the top when looking at the season overall!
Well that's true.. we started the season expecting a closer championship battle but that was somewhat lost due to endless Merc 1-2's. The second half showed a much tighter top 3 though, and all have won races. That bodes very well for next year.2020 is well set up to pick up more or less exactly where we left off this year, albeit with most teams no doubt making tangible jumps forward in the off season.
On the technical side it'll be boring as everybody will be focusing their efforts on 2021.
On the sporting side, stable regs will result in some degree of convergence. I think the battle among the top three and the (separate) battle in the midfield will intensity and it could be a great season for 'racing'.
I think Red Bull will take it to Mercedes. Haas and Perez might slot back into their rightful place in the already very tight mid-pack.
However Mercedes will go well early on and everybody will complain that its a boring season.
On the sporting side, stable regs will result in some degree of convergence. I think the battle among the top three and the (separate) battle in the midfield will intensity and it could be a great season for 'racing'.
I think Red Bull will take it to Mercedes. Haas and Perez might slot back into their rightful place in the already very tight mid-pack.
However Mercedes will go well early on and everybody will complain that its a boring season.
HustleRussell said:
On the technical side it'll be boring as everybody will be focusing their efforts on 2021.
On the sporting side, stable regs will result in some degree of convergence. I think the battle among the top three and the (separate) battle in the midfield will intensity and it could be a great season for 'racing'.
I think Red Bull will take it to Mercedes. Haas and Perez might slot back into their rightful place in the already very tight mid-pack.
However Mercedes will go well early on and everybody will complain that its a boring season.
I too think Mercedes early lead - they actually wil be motivated to push very hard on development in 2020 because they have to secure that legendary extra double win, enter the history books.. and they can most certainly do that and also make a fully competitive development effort for 2021.On the sporting side, stable regs will result in some degree of convergence. I think the battle among the top three and the (separate) battle in the midfield will intensity and it could be a great season for 'racing'.
I think Red Bull will take it to Mercedes. Haas and Perez might slot back into their rightful place in the already very tight mid-pack.
However Mercedes will go well early on and everybody will complain that its a boring season.
One of the biggest questions I have is at the opposite end of the grid - will Williams be able, via simple hard work and innovation, somehow be able to elevate their car? A tall order indeed but would be very impressive and positive for them.
RemarkLima said:
I do wonder if ferrari will continue to generally make a mess of too many weekends, which is a shame as the three way battle would be great!
It'll be interesting to see if RB are in the running, if they'll have to run it a bit more carefully...
Hopefully another set of great races!
Ferrari currently don't lack anything other than race craft and team solidity. If they fix those things they fly, if not they will be 2nd/3rd again.It'll be interesting to see if RB are in the running, if they'll have to run it a bit more carefully...
Hopefully another set of great races!
It's been this way for over a decade. If Ferrari don't modernise the way they work as a team, then it's likely they will fail again.
They just need to stop trying to be clever and instead focus on the job in hand... No cheating, no politics. They have the budget and the driver's.... Just deliver the car and win straight up. I bet they don't!
Pericoloso said:
I'm not sure Ferrari have the drivers ,plural.
They have a decent young driver ,the other ex multiple champion fella was all over the shop in 2019.
That's fair enough. But in the end both drivers got slapped down by max this year - and red bull really did only have one season driver. Do we conclude from that, that red bull can do with one driver which Ferrari cannot? I personally think so They have a decent young driver ,the other ex multiple champion fella was all over the shop in 2019.
I think on real terms Ferrari just placed p3 in the WCC and that will be the feeling in both maranello and the boardroom. That's the core reality, whatever the results show.
All I ask is that Williams produce a car that can contest for a regular point scoring position thus showing those that don’t now that Russell really is the real deal. I put him up there with the very best of newcomers over the last few years. Hopefully that’ll get him a top drive he richly deserves. Not overly bothered about the rest apart from wanting to see the gap to the top 3 teams drastically reduced.
I struggle to see how anyone could find F1 exciting at the moment.
But then i come from a long way back, I step in now and then, but it is all so dull, all about aero and tyres, I know its always been that way but for some reason it just seems so much worse right now.
I don't know the answer, but I must be in the wrong as millions seems to think its amazing. I wuld prefer more driver involvement, no team radio, less aero, but this seems impossible
Sadly, that is why things will never change much
But then i come from a long way back, I step in now and then, but it is all so dull, all about aero and tyres, I know its always been that way but for some reason it just seems so much worse right now.
I don't know the answer, but I must be in the wrong as millions seems to think its amazing. I wuld prefer more driver involvement, no team radio, less aero, but this seems impossible
Sadly, that is why things will never change much
My view too. It's way too slick and efficient these days. I don't care too much about close racing as you can get close contests in all sorts of sport. I've seen plenty of close horse races over the years - but I can never get excited about horse racing.
F1 lost its soul years ago - and that's why I've fallen out of love with it. I'm content now to cover the historic aspects of motor sport and learn more about past endeavours and the protagonists of yesteryear rather than the current crop of corporate executives who happen to spend a few hours each week during the season piloting a computer on four wheels around venues that have as much charm and character as an Asda car park.
F1 lost its soul years ago - and that's why I've fallen out of love with it. I'm content now to cover the historic aspects of motor sport and learn more about past endeavours and the protagonists of yesteryear rather than the current crop of corporate executives who happen to spend a few hours each week during the season piloting a computer on four wheels around venues that have as much charm and character as an Asda car park.
Smollet said:
All I ask is that Williams produce a car that can contest for a regular point scoring position thus showing those that don’t now that Russell really is the real deal. I put him up there with the very best of newcomers over the last few years. Hopefully that’ll get him a top drive he richly deserves. Not overly bothered about the rest apart from wanting to see the gap to the top 3 teams drastically reduced.
Definite shades of Alonso at Minardi with Russell at Williams.Smollet said:
All I ask is that Williams produce a car that can contest for a regular point scoring position thus showing those that don’t now that Russell really is the real deal. I put him up there with the very best of newcomers over the last few years. Hopefully that’ll get him a top drive he richly deserves. Not overly bothered about the rest apart from wanting to see the gap to the top 3 teams drastically reduced.
That's a big ask from Williams right now.. on the one hand the 2019 car is so bad that they probably could find speed simply by fixing errors in its design in time for 2020, but on the other hand, the performance gap is so great between where they are and points position, it's an awful lot to ask.I'd be happy just to see them improve enough to not always be predictably last. Also improve enough to not have frankly unforgivable parts shortages such as front wings... C'mon guys, you KNOW you're gonna get through several a year!! Or leaving one of their drivers with a damaged tub for endless races, instructed to avoid all kerbs - it's stuff like that which tips the balance between being a team people have sympathy for and being a team people begin to roll their eyes at.
Eric Mc said:
It's way too slick and efficient these days.
F1 lost its soul years ago - and that's why I've fallen out of love with it.
It's interesting, I still enjoy the sport, and take these new qualities of slickness and efficiency and the level of precision required to be competitive to be impressive and just part of how things are now.F1 lost its soul years ago - and that's why I've fallen out of love with it.
However I can empathise with your point of view to an extent because I feel the same about most modern cars. What I don't quite understand is why I feel so differently about what are arguably quite similar changes.
SturdyHSV said:
It's interesting, I still enjoy the sport, and take these new qualities of slickness and efficiency and the level of precision required to be competitive to be impressive and just part of how things are now.
However I can empathise with your point of view to an extent because I feel the same about most modern cars. What I don't quite understand is why I feel so differently about what are arguably quite similar changes.
Sticking with the reference to how modern cars have developed; I would have said the same until a few years ago. It felt like cars were on a path where they would just get worse, less driver involvement, more reliance on turbos so laggy and 'heavy' feeling engines, and fuel prices forcing people increasingly to diesel.. it felt like the affordable 'driver's' car would soon be a thing of the past. But somehow, the industry has stuck with its path of making safer and more environmentally friendly cars, but found ways to make (some of) them quite joyous to drive again. BMW 6 cylinder turbo engines, both petrol and diesel have no perceptible turbo lag so the turbo has no real downside anymore, but we can have the improved economy and/or the extra power - and still have a zippy engine. Same as the demise of manuals... That was going to be rubbish as autos are slower and less efficient.. except now, niether of those things are true. Electric power steering on a Porsche I drove recently is also now far improved and almost as much feel as it had before. And as for electric cars... Who thought a planet saving technology shift would result in everyday affordable and practical cars that can embarrass a supercar off the line!?However I can empathise with your point of view to an extent because I feel the same about most modern cars. What I don't quite understand is why I feel so differently about what are arguably quite similar changes.
Sorry for the long post. My point was that sometimes we can be convinced something we love is headed down a worrying path, but in the end we find that path has opened up new things we hadn't even considered. In F1 that can happen too. For instance, I'm looking forward to an increase in ground effect on 2021 - and I'm sure that's in part motivated by the desire make F1 cars more fuel efficient. So finally there is a positive side the economy drive F1 embarked upon when it went hybrid. At some point, the sport could be as brilliant as it ever was in a cynics eyes, in ways they didn't see coming.
Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff