RBR will get it sorted eventually, but how Vettel reacts if they have a bad start will really set the season.
My point is, that if the RBR does turn out to be extremely problematic, and the Renault engine is at a really big disadvantage, whoever takes the title will likely be hit by suggestions that they won in a season where Vettel was hampered. In reality, each driver can only compete with the the equipment they have and against the competition that's there... but it would always be brought up, either fairly or unfairly. I doubt it will be as bad as what it seems right now. We still have six weeks 'till the start of the season. There will be some long nights ahead for many people at both Renault and RBR, but I reckon they'll get on top of it.
Yeah I think RBR will sort it out, the other teams will also salvage something in terms of performance, it's only been the first test. I know we all like a bit of drama, truth is there are thousands of technicians ready to go ham on the engines and get them sorted.
If Vettel were to lose anyway, there will still be people saying that he didn't have a good car so the title could be 'tainted'. You have to use the equipment you are given and make the best of it to beat the rest of the grid, not just Vettel.
I hear ya ASC.... I just want all the big players (and small ones too) to be competitive this year and provide a bloody good title fight after the 2013 borefest. Having RBR severely hampered would suck.
There is always going to be an element of luck. I think you did a pretty good job with those examples of showing that it doesn't need rule changes to have an effect. I personally feel like it is important for F1 to evolve and change and when it does the teams that can adapt best will win. It already looks like Mercedes in particular have produced a pretty reliable engine, so the blame lies with Renault and Red Bull, not with the rules. I expect that the actual frequency of retirements won't be as bad as is being made out. It will be worse than last year, but we won't be back in the 1980's and it will get back to normal pretty quickly. I agree though that F1 is showing a worrying trend of doing way to many things "to spice things up". Double points being the prime offender.
Yes, I agree and if Bernie's memory is still functioning fully, he'll remember how much more exciting F1 was when cars were less reliable than we've come to expect recently. Renault's weaknesses have been already exposed for all to see but no one is really pushing yet so who's to say that the other engines won't have issues too, perhaps in the heat of Bahrain, for example. Now, if only he could be persuaded to drop this stupid double points gimmick; for me, this latter change is the real risk of tainting the championships this year. As for Red Bull's reported cooling issues, well, tough: better sort it quickly if it's true. But Horner says the problems are all down to Renault so Red Bull themselves can't have any cooling issues, can they?
Come on, apart from the very average no2 driver Mark Webber no one had a car capable of challenging Red-Bull in 2011 or 2013. That made them kinda hollow. Trust me................I wouldn't!
I think the last few days combined with F1 withdrawal has just made us jumpy... deep breaths... It'll be alright on the night.
Videos from today: [NSFW][video=youtube;4jdtL-BQDh0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jdtL-BQDh0[/video] [video=youtube;sptIkHSfzwE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sptIkHSfzwE[/video] [video=youtube;kG33L24HbVo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG33L24HbVo[/video] [video=youtube;e95rAJZaWOg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e95rAJZaWOg[/video] [video=youtube;1FpdlEo1yaA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FpdlEo1yaA[/video] [video=youtube;47hfrNRgzes]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47hfrNRgzes[/video] [video=youtube;BFncNuIdN2c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFncNuIdN2c[/video] [video=youtube;e-wyD6qbKKo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-wyD6qbKKo[/video][/NSFW] I hate to say it but I think Mercedes has the best engine sound. Ferrari sounds amazing off-throttle though.
The problem with bringing in unknown scenarios and unpredictability is that people find it great, until their favourite driver has a problem or retires then suddenly it's not so brilliant, which is exactly what we saw with Hamilton at Silverstone last year, people were immediately irate and calling for the rules to be changed. That is the problem right now, people just want the rules that will put the driver they want on top of the podium, at which point they'll claim those rules are perfect which i'm sure is why many are liking or loving the current situation, because a driver they like might actually be involved in the first half of the season, which just ever so slightly increases their chances.
I would choose anyone to beat vettel this year. That said I want him beaten with at least some degree of fairness. If any engine does dominate I'd want it to be Mercedes. That's partly because who I support, but mostly because it still leaves top teams to battle each other
I saw a comment early today from a Spanish person who went to Jerez and he/she said McLaren was on rails accelerating out of the chicane while everyone else was sliding around. TJ13 also has positive things to say about the McLaren:
See if I was real fanboy of Vettel I could already say this season is a write off, dismiss the champion elect and bring up hypothetical situations in that 'Seb isn't only fighting Alonso or whoever, but better engines, the FIA and RENAULT THEMSELVES!' and that if Vettel had the same car he would of dominated even more. Though that story is getting a bit boring now...
Look at Marko in the background: http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/f1/9142041/kravitz:-dreadful-day-for-red-bull
