McLaren Group has been recertified with the Carbon Trust Standard for successfully measuring, managing and reducing carbon emissions across all of its UK operations. Well, when half your cars fail to finish a race I can see how they've been certified for reducing their carbon foot print! Bet Red Bull are gutted!
Hungary planning track changes and an extended contract to 2021. I've always loved the Hungaroring http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/11/08/hungaroring-aiming-deal-host-race-2021/
For the love of all things dressed up in fish-net stockings, don't let Tilke loose on the circuit.. Reading the comments on F1Fanatic, I agree with one of the guys, get rid of the chicane at the back of the circuit, extend the run up to the final corner, I'd also change the final corner from the current configuration (where its hard for one car to follow another) into two slow right handers, gives the guy following a chance to close up and hopefully pull a pass going down what would now be an extended straight, leave the rest of the circuit alone!
I've always liked the Hungaroring, despite it not producing the most overtaking. It's place on the calendar is fairly secure as it's pretty much the 'GP of Eastern Europe'. After spa, it's the track I'd most like to visit. Someone on that thread linked above has drawn a sketch of making turn 4 sharper, and creating a slightly longer straight into the chicane (which they'd also tighten), that doesn't sound too bad. Beyond that though I really like the flow of the circuit, so I wouldn't want any significant changes. If I recall correctly, a lap is around 1min20, so if they wanted to they could probably add a new section to about 30 seconds in length, which would be nice. I'd like to see it come instead of the last hairpin, and push the last corner further away from the pits to create a longer straight, giving more opportunities into turn 1 too.
There seems to be much a'do about mulkkus lately.. I'll try and steer (pardon the pun) the discussion from what was and wasn't said by Kimi and Vettel onto actually taking about F1. Good ole chat on Twitter today about the changes to Intelagos and getting rid of the gravel trap at turn 1 and replacing it with tarmac... I can see the pro's and con's of such things.. Pro - less cars eliminated by slight mistakes and therefore impacting the spectacle of the race itself.. Con - Drivers drive with less finesse knowing if they go way beyond the limits of the car and track, they'll end up in a run off area that, at the worse will cost them 5-10 seconds but won't mean they're out of the race.. Presonnaly I'd like to see a return of more gravel traps but not immediately off the track, a bit like when you play golf, you have the fairway, a bit of semi rough before the nasty stuff, I'd have 3-4 metres of tarmac that would allows those that make a slight error to remain in the race but not enough to save you if you drive like an idiot!
I'm getting tired of all these run off areas popping up. This sport is about skill and keeping it clean and between the white lines!
I like the golf analogy, but I think the problem is that when you have an accident, you want the tarmac there to help slow you down, rather than the gravel which presents the risk of rolling the car. By having the gravel a little away from the track, you're only effecting the accidents, not the drivers using more road than they should. I've been having a look online, and you can get materials that offer grip in one direction, but very little in the opposite direction. By careful application of these in run off areas, you could potentially create a situation where drivers speeding away from the track (ie crashing) get the grip they need to slow them down, but drivers who go wide and try to recover will find that they have very little grip available, so it takes a significant amount of time to get back onto the track.
The Hungaroring was universally hated by the drivers when it first came out as being fiddly, slow and hard to overtake. As cars (and circuits) have evolved, the current drivers don't see it as that anymore. Does that reflect badly on the current cars, drivers, circuits or what we as fans now expect from an F1 circuit!?
Here's a question how many cars have actually rolled over because of gravel traps down the years? From my own memory I can only remember Pedro Diniz at the ring in 1999. In my opinion they are butchering circuits as, Brundle said they are making what were once challenging corners bread and butter stuff for the drivers.
Extended 'recovery' run-off areas are making F1 ever more like an arcade game. This insidious chipping away of the punishment of 'natural consequence' continues to widen the gap between motor racing and meaningful reality. It results in a general lack of respect for what is or is not acceptable (particularly with regard to overtaking near such places), which then requires rules which are very difficult to police consistently, thus opening the flood-gates for complaints against those who stand in judgement – whose jobs are made ever more difficult. To put it simply, run-offs make things more complicated by encouraging reckless driving and the chances of unfairness because they fly in the face of what one might describe as 'Natural Law'.- - -o0o- - - It should be obvious that this undermines the quality of both driving and spectacle; and ultimately, the respect for motor racing in general. Don't get me wrong: I support any measure which increases safety, so long as it does not undermine the whole concept of motor racing. But unfortunately, this over-reactive, 'do-gooder' mentality is Senna's biggest legacy. Tragically – and I feel compelled to say this – if it had only been 'Ratty' that awful weekend, I think there would have been less of a knee-jerk reaction.
I like the idea of the Paul-Ricard run-off areas. Those massive blue strips of run-off are apparently highly abbrasive to tires, so while you'll be able to run off the track and rejoin without the risk of flipping your car or ending your race, it doesn't mean you wouldn't be punished.
I tend to agree with you on the run-off Cosi. While I totally understand the safety aspect they really have in some ways effected racing detrimentally. It's possible to go in to an overtake half-cocked with very little or sometimes no punishment for doing so. There are even spots where outside run-off is fair game for overtaking which I have never understood. Maybe gravel wasn't the best of options as issues with it weren't just related to rolling, but cars could also skid across the surface scrubbing off very little speed before hitting the barriers. I'm not sure what the answer is, but acres of tarmac isn't it.
Interesting blog from Gary Anderson covering several areas: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20391729
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Airhorn? Really? Or is this something far more complex than the annoying things people take to festivals and football matches?
Korea cheap out on carpet fitters but still make a loss this year of $36 million. This is 3 years out of 3 they have made a loss. Of course the country and Bernie dont care and it will still be on the calander ahead of countries that would sell out.
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2012/11/hamilton-and-buttons-head-to-head-record-at-mclaren/ Some interesting stats there. I was surprised given Red Bull's recent dominance that they won nearly a third of grands prix entered between them, and scored points in every single race. The direct comparisons aren't that surprising given Hamilton's bad luck this season. Jenson may have scored more points, but their time as team mates has just confirmed that Lewis is the better driver in my opinion.
