F2 will usurp GP2 as soon as it occurs. Only one of these two series is regulated by the FIA. Because of this, it is more appealing to drivers from all over the world. Although F3 is a higher performance category, at national level it is suffering from a reduction in entries from foreign National Licence holders*. For this reason, there has been a kind of 'in-fighting' within the ranks of national F3 to attract foreign nationals to their competition – necessarily at the expense of others. Perhaps the best example is the lack of commitment to British F3 from some other country's national level drivers (most importantly, Germany), which necessarily weakens the overall entry, with the knock-on effect that it becomes less of 'a place to be noticed' for home-grown competitors, wherever this weakening is occurring. N.B. Perhaps the answer is equally intuitive if comparing National F3 with FIA F3? There's a very substantial gap… - - -o0o- - - * National Licence holders from any nation are eligible to enter competitions anywhere in the world, so long as such competition does not require a higher grade licence.
please log in to view this image Tabac Changes at Monaco January 13, 2015 by Joe Saward There is significant redevelopment work going on at Monaco, to completely reconstruct the area around the celebrated Tabac Corner. The quayside and the path of the Grand Prix track will remain unchanged but the area between this and the Boulevard Albert I (the start-finish straight) is to be rebuilt in the course of the next four years. When the work is finished the area will become the new home of the Prince’s automobile collection, which is currently housed in Fontvielle. The original car museum will be redeveloped to create an extension to the shopping centre which is located inside the rock, beneath the royal palace. When the work at Tabac is completed the harbour esplanade will have been widened to match the work previously done on the south side of the swimming pool, which allowed the Formula 1 pits to be extended some years ago. The car museum will be beneath the esplanade with a second floor beneath this, creating an exhibition area of just under 100,000 sq ft. There will be three levels of parking beneath that. The bottom floor of the parking will be 50 feet below the sea level, but will provide Monaco with another 300 much-needed parking spaces. This should mean that the car collection will attract significantly more visitors than it has in the past and the design will include a central area that will be used for presentations and auctions. The new extension will also allow for more quayside restaurants and night clubs, but it will mean that there will probably be less seating available for a couple of years while the structural work is done. The aim is to have this completed before the Grand Prix in 2017, with the entire development being completed by 2019. It is worth noting that the next likely phase of development will be a change to the Rascasse section, with plans being drawn up to create an open area, perhaps with some kind of building in the centre. This will improve the access between the pits and the paddock and provide better viewing. The track could thus be re-profiled a little if that was deemed to be necessary. The famous Rascasse restaurant was bought by the government-owned Société des Bains de Mer in 2009. Remember also that there is still a major land reclamation project underway on the other side of Monte Carlo, in the Portiers district, which could in the long term provide room for the circuit to be extended in order to create overtaking opportunities. The exact design of the new district is not yet known, but a contract for the work is currently being agreed with the French construction giant Bouyges. For the moment, however, the track will remain as it is, even if the backdrop will change in the years ahead.
I do think Honda/Mclaren have a point. If they are to be treated as 1st year entrants then they should get 35 tokens in year 2. Likewise 1st year 5 engines per driver. If 2nd year then homologate 28th Feb and 32 tokens in 2015.
What's the financial penalty for homologating an engine late? Can Honda homologate the engine now as a super late 2014 entry, then start 2015 as a second year engine supplier?
I'm with Honda on everything but the 5 engines thing, because that has to be a competitive advantage over the other teams.
I think consistency is the main thing, Honda should receive the same deal as new entries did last year, or get a level playing field this year.
It's simple in my eyes. This is a sport. This is 2015 season. Teams compete on a level playing field for THAT seasons championship. Whatever has gone on before should have no bearing. Hold your hands up FIA, you ****ed it up. Now lets just have a race. Not the contrived, predictable bullshit that comes with it.
Formula 1: German Grand Prix back at Hockenheim - Ecclestone Hockenheim will host this year's German Grand Prix, according to Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone. The track hosted the 2014 race but is supposed to alternate each year with the Nurburgring. But Ecclestone, 84, told Reuters: "It's going to be at Hockenheim. We just have to amend the years of the contract. It was alternating with Nurburgring so we'll just take that out." The official 2015 calendar does not yet specify a venue for the 19 July race. The Nurburgring is under new ownership and Ecclestone added: "It can't be Nurburgring because there's nobody there." Hockenheim staged its first Formula 1 grand prix in 1970.
Isn't that exactly the problem. Everyone except Honda can use their 35 tokens during 2015! So it is not a level playing field for 2015!
Toto Wolff was clearly in a confident mood when he stated that the Silver Arrows will start the season with the Power Unit that took the season by storm last year. The new six cylinder turbo engine will not be debuted until the circus returns to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix. “We are planning ahead and focusing on 2016 already. Around September we will begin testing components for the following season so we are as prepared as possible.” As far as the development between the manufacturers is concerned Wolff is adamant: “Thinking about what has been decided, it will be us who will gain the most from the ‘unfreezing’ of the regulations and not our competition.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30860212 Honda 'win' their development fight. However, in another 'Charlie Whiting ruining the sport moment', they are only allowed to develop the engine by the average number of tokens unused by the other teams during the season. Does this man sit there and dream up this horseshit?
McLaren's new engine partner Honda has won its fight to be allowed to develop its engine during 2015. Formula 1's governing body the FIA has backtracked on an earlier ruling that allowed Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari to upgrade their engines but not Honda. The move comes after Honda expressed its unhappiness about what it considered to be an unfair situation. Honda will now be allowed to develop its brand new engine within limits explicitly laid out by the FIA. What can Honda do? Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari are allowed to change up to 48% of the engines they used in 2014 by the end of the 2015 season. This is defined by a number of 'tokens', which are assigned to parts of the engine on the basis of their influence on performance. Out of a total of 66 tokens, Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari can modify 32 through 2015. Previously Honda had been barred from changing any of its engine after it was approved for competition on 28 February. Friday's ruling will allow Honda to change a given amount of its engine calculated by the average of the number of tokens unused by the other manufacturers by the time of the first race in Australia on 16 March. In the example given by FIA race director Charlie Whiting, and seen by BBC Sport, he writes: "If the three 2014 manufacturers have eight, seven and five unused tokens respectively at the start of the season, then the new manufacturer will be allowed to use six during the season (the average rounded down to the nearest whole number)".
Bernie has lost the plot really so let him go, Honda should have a fair deal, not a half baked one, Ferrari should persuade Ross Brawn to return (but he wont...gone fishing fr a year and has moved on I think), drivers should have to use their skills...and brain for themselves. Drivers should be made to do work on their own cars and the paddocks should be open to the fans. There should be a triathlon championship on the side , FI, Rally and Sports car (or motorbikes), Currently the championship is really decided by the car and the two drivers, at least last 5 years have been like that. It was great to see lewis win last year but really he only beat Nico...wow. Lets get back to basics, make them run to their cars for the start, But I will still watch without all that.
Oh gee I can't think of ANY way Ferrari, Renault, and Mercedes can exploit this. Nope, this is definitely a flawless plan. Trebles all round!
Just me who thinks this actually gives Honda an advantage? Mercedes can make 32 changes to their 2014 engine, but it sounds like they're going to use their 2014 engine to start the season, then introduce a 2015 spec engine by about Spain, with some room to develop. Surely that means that by Australia they won't have actually used any of their development tokens? Meanwhile Honda have unlimited development up until the end of February, then will have this average number of tokens to use during the season, which is going to be artificially inflated by any manufacturer choosing to hold back tokens? If all the existing manufacturers have 2015 spec engines by Spain, then they may only have half a dozen tokens left. Meanwhile Honda will have had at the very least twice that, and only 4 or so more races over which to spend them? What am I missing?
It's all about the base starting point. Honda can not be ahead of its rivals when the engines have never been run (and developed) on track. Even if they do have an advantage in any area, they are likely to have several areas where the power train needs developing or redesigning to maximise potential - all of the other manufacturers will be at this stage already.
I seem to remember that the whole crux of the matter is that you are only allowed to homologate 1 engine per season. Due to Ferrari finding a loop hole (FIA forgot to say when 2015 engine must be homologated by) the FIA has conceded that teams can run a 2014 homologated engine in 2015! The teams can then develop their 2014 engines (off track) using upto 32 tokens BUT to use an engine during race weekend it must be homologated. So they can only use the 2014 spec engine then a 2015 spec engine. They can't add 10 tokens and race with the improved engine then add another 10 tokens and race with that engine etc as they are only allowed 1 2015 homologated engine! The other thing is that they are only allowed 4 engines per season!!!! So that's 1 engine per 5 races. 5th race is Spain. So at a guess teams will use a 2014 engine for 5 races then switch to their 2015 engine for remaining races. Hope that doesn't confuse things more. EDIT: I have been reading a bit more on this after the news about what the FIA have agreed with Honda. I am now very unclear about homologation. Reading about Honda it seems like the other teams are allowed to use up the tokens over the year and not just a 1 shot 'this is the 2015 engine' type thing. Anyone read anything that clearly explains the tokens and how teams can race with an engine that has not been homolgated i.e. some tokens have been added but still allows extra tokens later in year?
