Official 2023 Australian Grand Prix Thread ***SPOILERS***
Poll: Official 2023 Australian Grand Prix Thread ***SPOILERS***
Total Members Polled: 170
Discussion
moffspeed said:
Cars the size of a Range Rover and nearly a third of the circuits on the F1 calendar this year being street/temporary ( Las Vegas - do we really need it after already adding anonymous Miami ? ) Opportunities to recover crashed/failed cars without interrupting a race are minimal.
After spending the last few weeks looking at concrete walls and countless red/yellow flags I yearn for the sight of a proper F1 circuit so I guess that will be Rd6, Imola in May. Fast,open circuits are what we need, Silverstone is just over 3 months away….
Actually Vegas will probably force them to post cranes everywhere it's likely a car could go off - like at Monaco.After spending the last few weeks looking at concrete walls and countless red/yellow flags I yearn for the sight of a proper F1 circuit so I guess that will be Rd6, Imola in May. Fast,open circuits are what we need, Silverstone is just over 3 months away….
I actually think that the vegas main strip backdrop will be quite unique, visually it should be a good circuit. Who knows that the racing will be like.. But I suppose that's not the point of this particular GP.
entropy said:
PhilAsia said:
Yes funny years ago before regrid starts we were all for them. But now it does seem to breed too much action risk vs a safety car restart.
I don't remember there was a clamouring for it. I was cynical at first. Way better than the old days of aggregate times.Random thoughts on the race and F1
-Race starts / Red flag Restarts are usually the most interesting point in a GP to casual viewers as there is the most likely to be a coming together. The increase frequency of Reg flags that someone posted earlier loosely aligns to Libertys ownership. It feels to me that the show is becoming more and more important as the years go by.
- The safety car escorting cars to the grid for a Red flag restarts seems a bad idea to me. I actually don't understand the purpose of it unless it is to ensure the track is ready for resumption (no spectators on it!), and if that is the case, run around on your own then the cars follow 2 minutes later like a rally stage. The drivers need to control the speed and tyre warm up, and is what they inevitably end up doing anyway. This will only be worse if the tyre blanket rule comes in.
- It felt like Perez fell asleep mid race (he seemed to be a few seconds off Norris for a fair few laps), before remembering he has a fast car. Odd.
- When is the cost cap data for 2022 being released to the public? Are we going to start hearing inside rumours before the release again?
- Red bull are managing race pace significantly. That car could blitz the field and lap a considerable number of cars if so desired. Whether they are managing it for reliability or to protect the inevitable FIA/liverty meddling's I don't know. Feels like a bit of both.
-Race starts / Red flag Restarts are usually the most interesting point in a GP to casual viewers as there is the most likely to be a coming together. The increase frequency of Reg flags that someone posted earlier loosely aligns to Libertys ownership. It feels to me that the show is becoming more and more important as the years go by.
- The safety car escorting cars to the grid for a Red flag restarts seems a bad idea to me. I actually don't understand the purpose of it unless it is to ensure the track is ready for resumption (no spectators on it!), and if that is the case, run around on your own then the cars follow 2 minutes later like a rally stage. The drivers need to control the speed and tyre warm up, and is what they inevitably end up doing anyway. This will only be worse if the tyre blanket rule comes in.
- It felt like Perez fell asleep mid race (he seemed to be a few seconds off Norris for a fair few laps), before remembering he has a fast car. Odd.
- When is the cost cap data for 2022 being released to the public? Are we going to start hearing inside rumours before the release again?
- Red bull are managing race pace significantly. That car could blitz the field and lap a considerable number of cars if so desired. Whether they are managing it for reliability or to protect the inevitable FIA/liverty meddling's I don't know. Feels like a bit of both.
Leithen said:
Removing DRS might greatly reduce Red Bull’s advantage.
Liberty can’t do that, but I suspect Domenicali will be trying hard to have the number of zones reduced to one ASAP.
DRS was an afterthought with these new regulations, the original rules didn’t include it, but they thought about it for a while before deciding to keep it. The evidence is now clear that these cars can follow closely, so the artificial assistance can probably be retired at the end of this season. Liberty can’t do that, but I suspect Domenicali will be trying hard to have the number of zones reduced to one ASAP.
In the meantime perhaps reducing the DRS zones, in number and length, might be a good starting point.
Edited by Sandpit Steve on Tuesday 4th April 08:50
Sandpit Steve said:
DRS was an afterthought with these new regulations, the original rules didn’t include it, but they thought about it for a while before deciding to keep it. The evidence is now clear that these cars can follow closely, so the artificial assistance can probably be retired at the end of this season.
In the meantime perhaps reducing the DRS zones, in number and length, might be a good starting point.
It would be the easiest thing just to bin it off altogether partway through the season. I don't even think it would require a rule change - just remove all DRS zones from the circuits. It's clearly not required anymore and the teams wouldn't have to do anything. The teams could agree to leave the existing DRS mechanism has to stay in place, to avoid any associated costs of removing it, which the teams would obviously want to do, to save weight.In the meantime perhaps reducing the DRS zones, in number and length, might be a good starting point.
Edited by HardtopManual on Tuesday 4th April 09:08
Leithen said:
Removing DRS might greatly reduce Red Bull’s advantage.
Liberty can’t do that, but I suspect Domenicali will be trying hard to have the number of zones reduced to one ASAP.
It's not all about red bull, without drs we barely see any overtakes at all. It sucks to watch as most overtakes we do see are somewhat artificial, but would you rather that than none at all?Liberty can’t do that, but I suspect Domenicali will be trying hard to have the number of zones reduced to one ASAP.
Yazza54 said:
It's not all about red bull, without drs we barely see any overtakes at all. It sucks to watch as most overtakes we do see are somewhat artificial, but would you rather that than none at all?
I'd rather see 3 brilliant overtakes in a race than 100 DRS breeze-bys.I do not understand this mindset that F1 is all about overtaking. The fastest cars start the race at the front and the slowest at the back.
If you like overtaking, there are plenty of other motorsport formats where you can fill your boots.
DRS hold my beer..Yazza54 said:
Leithen said:
Removing DRS might greatly reduce Red Bull’s advantage.
Liberty can’t do that, but I suspect Domenicali will be trying hard to have the number of zones reduced to one ASAP.
It's not all about red bull, without drs we barely see any overtakes at all. It sucks to watch as most overtakes we do see are somewhat artificial, but would you rather that than none at all?Liberty can’t do that, but I suspect Domenicali will be trying hard to have the number of zones reduced to one ASAP.
I am watching these DRS breeze-bys and thinking if it wasn't for DRS then that move is a multi-corner dogfight or a hail Mary divebomb, both of which are slowing down both drivers involved and allowing drivers behind to catch. Even in a static situation where it is not possible for a driver to pass you probably have someone behind coming to join in. You'd get all kinds of racecraft dynamics coming back in which have been redundant for years.
If F1 wants proper overtakes back then we need DRS gone- or at circuits where that isn't possible, at minimised to the point that it generally allows drivers to get alongside and not fully ahead.
Been thinking this season DRS needs to be removed, especially as the whole point of the floor downforce is that the cars can follow.
So now, cars can 100% follow closer, but have even more DRS zones, so it's just a bit of a pass-tastic affair. DRS was only introduced to overcome the issue that cars couldn't follow each other!
So now, cars can 100% follow closer, but have even more DRS zones, so it's just a bit of a pass-tastic affair. DRS was only introduced to overcome the issue that cars couldn't follow each other!
HardtopManual said:
Yazza54 said:
It's not all about red bull, without drs we barely see any overtakes at all. It sucks to watch as most overtakes we do see are somewhat artificial, but would you rather that than none at all?
I'd rather see 3 brilliant overtakes in a race than 100 DRS breeze-bys.I do not understand this mindset that F1 is all about overtaking. The fastest cars start the race at the front and the slowest at the back.
If you like overtaking, there are plenty of other motorsport formats where you can fill your boots.
F1 overtakes often require subtle build ups for a sublime event that may or may not stick. 1 per race will do. DRS has often led to a large number of wafty, unmemorable place changes.......something that can also happen without it, but less so IMO.
HardtopManual said:
It would be the easiest thing just to bin it off altogether partway through the season. I don't even think it would require a rule change - just remove all DRS zones from the circuits. It's clearly not required anymore and the teams wouldn't have to do anything. The teams could agree to leave the existing DRS mechanism has to stay in place, to avoid any associated costs of removing it, which the teams would obviously want to do, to save weight.
100% This. And keep it at circuits where overtakes are non-existent without DRS (but with perhaps a system where DRS is cut as the cars are side-by-side, or similar...)Deesee said:
No DRS - RBR was 7 km/h faster than MERC
Both DRS - RBR was 14 km/h faster than MERC
RBR DRS - RBR was 36 km/h faster than MERC
Sounds like the Merc is the problem not the Red Bull Both DRS - RBR was 14 km/h faster than MERC
RBR DRS - RBR was 36 km/h faster than MERC
F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of innovation within the envelope of the regs, the fact that one team is doing it better than another isn't a valid reason to make changes to slow them down or negate their advantage. The rest of the field need to get their s
t together... And I do not say this as a red bull fan boy, because I am not. Yazza54 said:
Sounds like the Merc is the problem not the Red Bull
F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of innovation within the envelope of the regs, the fact that one team is doing it better than another isn't a valid reason to make changes to slow them down or negate their advantage. The rest of the field need to get their st together... And I do not say this as a red bull fan boy, because I am not.
Exactly right. F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of innovation within the envelope of the regs, the fact that one team is doing it better than another isn't a valid reason to make changes to slow them down or negate their advantage. The rest of the field need to get their s
t together... And I do not say this as a red bull fan boy, because I am not. Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff