F1 2015 Season: Lineup's - Rumours - News

Well this will run for years then, as Honda will want to be able to develop in-season during 2016, if not before.

That said, the existing manufacturers are only allowed the same 32 changes they could have made over the winter, but just have more development time. But they'll want the engines at 2015 standard ASAP, so I suspect few of those changes will be kept for later on in the season.

 

I cannot fathom how that can technically or logically make sense?

 

I think expecting logic from F1 at this point is a tall ask.

 

Good for Horner and Ferrari.

If this (ahem) adjustment of the rules applied to everybody, it might make sense despite the fact that it appears to have been in deference to those teams and others using their engines. But having now admitted a careless oversight in [not] explicitly stating what was intended, this new interpretation effectively penalises new engine manufacturers by not allowing them the same loophole for the first year!

Good old Charlie Whiting now seems to be choosing the teams who'll benefit from his and his rule maker's own incompetence!

I believe Honda may conceivably have a legal claim (not that it is the company's style to do so) in being discluded from a retrospective decision which increases the already huge disadvantage of being years behind their competitors.

I would also suggest that it is likely Whiting may yet see fit to include Honda in his latest, seemingly whimsical decision, so let's watch this space...

[Edited for missing an important word: 'not'. But no, I am not associated with the FIA! ]

 

It is probably the biggest load of cobblers in FIA history but it is needed for the sake of the sport and who knows, we might have a championship battle between more than one team!

How can the greatest motoorsport in the world not be able to have a team improve throughout the season? Homologous engines were a silly idea given that the idea of this technology is to develop it and advertise it for roadcars. Not developing it just encouraged one team to spend big for 4 years build up and jump the gun on everyone.

At least now we might see what Renault, Ferrari, and Honda are capable of.

 

Oh hang on wait. They've managed to block Honda from upgrading the engine.

What a ****ing joke this sport is. Laughing stock.

"
The interpretation that allows Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault to bring in developments over the course of 2015 will not apply to Honda because it is a new manufacturer.

Although the regulations do not specifically state dates for the Japanese car maker to submit its homologated unit, the FIA is standing by its view that it must stick to the February 28 date that the current manufacturers faced last year.

The Whiting note added: "As the existing manufacturers were obliged to homologate their power units by 28 February 2014 it would seem fair and equitable to ask a new manufacturer to homologate their power unit before February 28 2015.

"We therefore consider this to be a requirement for a new power unit manufacturer."

So basically, new manufacturers must bring power unit perfection to win. What nonsense. How the hell are they expected to have a chance? Absolute ****s the FIA

 

ARMS RACE? GAME CHANGER? WHAT DO THE LATEST CHANGES TO F1 ENGINE RULES MEAN?

It seems that the FIA has now accepted that there is a loophole in the F1 technical regulations, which might level the playing field a little, as Renault and Ferrari have been requesting for some time. So what does it mean for the 2015 Championship and will it change the packing order?

Here with the help of JA on F1 technical adviser Dominic Harlow, we will attempt to demystify what the latest developments mean for fans watching in 2015.

 

James Allen is doing his usual PR job; toeing (selling?) the party line and skipping over a clear unfairness to Honda, as well as their only chassis designer, McLaren*.

The argument he presents about the likelihood of pre-existing engine manufacturers sticking with 2014 engines until the Spanish Grand Prix is – regardless of likelihood** – both spurious and speculative. It appears little more than an attempt to appease an obvious inconsistency which, as the interpretation stands at present, increases the difficulty for any forthcoming manufacturer, which will not have had the huge 'shake-down' advantage of a year's racing (or more, if the FIA stun us all with consistency by applying this interpretation of their own vagueness to all future newcomers).

*Since McLaren are the only team running Honda engines this year, the inevitable gremlins of development will surface more slowly than for pre-existing manufacturers, all of which are supplying more than one team. This is in direct proportion to the number of cars running any given engine.

**I happen to agree with JA that the caveat handed to pre-existing teams is likely to postpone homologation of their 2015 engines until the circus gets back to Europe, such that there is a possibility of using 2014 spec engines for the first few races. However, this is not the point! …and James Allen is presenting a hoodwink for those he hopes will be placated by his superficial gloss. The point is that any competitor in any competition should be at liberty to enter under the same rules and conditions, and should not be hampered because of, say, a potential threat posed to the establishment! In all walks of life, especially competition, preparation is a key factor. Fair play to those who prepare properly; why shouldn't they? – And to claim that Honda have some bizarre advantage through not having raced the new engine configuration is utterly ludicrous.

Cynically, I'd venture that most of us know which teams run F1. Is it a coincidence for instance, that the same two teams (oops, I mean engine manufacturers, of course) feeling most threatened by Honda have the most to gain after being steered in the direction of a convenient and well-hidden loophole? Even more cynically, one might speculate that the apparent incompetence of the FIA and its virtually invisible President is quite deliberate in order to provide precisely this type of favourable adjustment to the favoured teams! (OK, I'd better stop – Otherwise I might go on about how much Ron Dennis is perceived as a perpetual thorn-in-the-side by the FIA (historically steered by Ferrari alone, prior to Red Bull's appearance), but perhaps that's another story – or is it?…

 

Disgraceful situation. Surely even Bernie must be starting to feel embarrassed at how much his F1 is becoming a laughing stock.

F1's global sponsors...
The brand & marketing executives must be memorising James Allen's disingenuous tosh, and hoping they don't have to actually recite it to anyone that knows.

Corporates that aren't involved in F1...
They must be pissing themselves. Especially if they happen to compete with a company that does sponsor F1. "UBS has invited you to a Grand Prix? In Japan? The home of Honda, which has been deliberately disadvantaged for the whole season? Hmmm, I think you deserve better than a day full of public booing and corporate boycotting. Please be our guest at Le Mans / Royal Ascot / America's Cup / Class 1 Offshore Powerboat Racing. Just think, you won't have to talk to Bernie Ecclestone either."

Alonso is my current favourite driver, but I'd be quite happy to see Honda walk away now. It would be interesting to see the fallout from that, the impact on F1's global brand, and the knock-on reactions. But I'm sure Honda's contract doesn't have any loopholes that would allow that.

F1 sponsors must be wishing they could defect to FIFA.

 

I think the James Allen article balances out some of the misreporting in the media well. Some fans have taken the reports to mean that Renault/Mercedes/Ferrari can continue development through the season as long as they stick to the tokens levels by the end of the season which isn't the case at all: it's a delay of homologation not continual development and would have huge disadvantages to anyone who wanted to do it, some of which were mentioned in Allen's article. However I do find it greatly unfair on Honda to force on them a Feb 28th homologation date which isn't in the regs; they should have been allowed until the first race in March. An engine manufacturer should even be allowed to enter midseason if they want to.

The regs are written in a way that puts off new engine manufacturers. A new manufacturer has to stick to the same token levels as the existing manufacturers and isn't allowed to have a competitive advantage with their first PU (see appendix 4 1c of the sporting regs).

 

Caterham won't make the first test unless they get a buyer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30681394

 

New Video Reveals Scarbs Take On The 2015 Nose Regulations

 

If Honda are forced to homologate their engines by Feb 28th does that mean that they have the 32 tokens they can use during 2016?
i.e. are they effectively 1 year behind in the engine homologation rules?
It does through up some interesting situations for the next few years.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30685450

Honda to met with FIA querying engine rules. They are 'annoyed' and feel they are at a disadvantage.

 

Button's race engineer Dave "Okay Jenson" Robson is on his way to Williams to be Massa's engineer.

 

FIA seem to have responded to GP2's increasing irrelevance and the rise of alternate series like Formula Renault 3.5... by making it more difficult for FR3.5 drivers to get a superlicense.

Also there's going to be another attempt at F2, for some reason.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2015/01/06/fia-confirms-new-2016-f1-superlicence-points-system/

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

EDIT: F1Fanatic also put together this follow-up article looking at the last five years and who would have been excluded. As I saw someone put it on Reddit, Ricciardo would have been disqualified but Jolyon Palmer is the height of eligibility. Just...huh?

 

well the FIA have just made their own F2 and F3 series more relevant

 

Well you could argue that with more of the best drivers having to do GP2 to make it into F1, that the quality would improve and Palmer might not have won the title. Clearly though this is meant to spite FR3.5.

I also think they need to make it easier from drivers to make comebacks (ala Schumacher) and move from different categories (No points at all for DTM or Formula E?).

 

@SkySportsNewsHQ: BREAKING NEWS: Korean Grand Prix dropped from 2015 Formula One Calendar. More on #SSNHQ

 

Oh and I just booked my flights to Korea