Spare Parts (F1 odds and ends)
- Thread starter Masanari
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I agree,hope Newey has not bitten off more than he can chew,so to speak,although he`s been around for a long time now and knows how F1 works.Also ,not a word anywhere as to what`s happened to Mike Krack
By the way,I would imagine Lance will be in the second car !
Two more races weekends then we will see what the pecking order looks like next season. Will be fascinating.
I have my fingers crossed for Lando as the alternative is probably Max. Whatever happens I will enjoy the show. I hope the WDC isn't settled till the last race. Only 9 times this century has it come down to the last race.
I have my fingers crossed for Lando as the alternative is probably Max. Whatever happens I will enjoy the show. I hope the WDC isn't settled till the last race. Only 9 times this century has it come down to the last race.
I’d like Oscar to Win.
It won’t happen , but that’s what I’d like .
What I dearly want to happen is for it to go to the last race , and all three to still have a chance .
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Looks very likely that it will not be settled till next weekend.
Red Bull Racing's longtime motorsport advisor Helmut Marko will step down from his role at the end of 2025. Red Bull confirmed the news on Tuesday,
Who`s next Max`s dad?
Who`s next Max`s dad?
Yeah, he probably wants to be the next advisor taking helmets position. He`d really love that.
Was doing a comparison of Senna’s McLaren car weight when he won his third world title in the MP4/6 to Lando’s title winning McLaren.
The weight of the MP4/6 was approx 505kg excluding driver. Say Senna weighed approx 70kg that makes a combined weight of 575kg
The weight of the current McLaren with Lando in is 800kg so basically a 200kg+ difference .
these new cars are supposedly 30kg lighter. Add losing another 150kg then racing might improve.
The weight of the MP4/6 was approx 505kg excluding driver. Say Senna weighed approx 70kg that makes a combined weight of 575kg
The weight of the current McLaren with Lando in is 800kg so basically a 200kg+ difference .
these new cars are supposedly 30kg lighter. Add losing another 150kg then racing might improve.
They'd all be the same weight, so that wouldn't really make any difference imo, the problem is that designs have converged to the point that the difference in pace between 1st and 20th is less than 1st to 3rd was back when Senna was racing. Reliability has improved immensely, which was a big factor in results. And race management is done by a team with access to massive computational power, rather than by the driver who has to concentrate on driving whilst figuring out it out himself, and maybe using too much fuel, over-stressing a car with a small problem.
My idea is to replace qualifying with a sprint race where the grid lines up in reverse championship order to decide the grid for the main race. Banning pit to driver communication other than to tell them to retire the car or when to pit. All 3 compounds must be used in the race, unless it's wet.
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Less weight, would probably help us have better tyres. The Pirelli’s were deliberately fragile in 2011, but as that’s been proven to be a bad thing, they’ve struggled to produce a much better product. Some part of that must be the extra 150kgs that have come about as a result of full hybrids, halo etc. meaning they have to work a lot harder. I am with you though that weight has nothing to do with race-ability (evidence Indy cars are heavier).
Personally I think it’s aero and optimisation - until recently I didn’t think it could be fixed, but I do think this era has shown that it’s possible to make cars so tricky to setup that their performance varies race to race. McLaren did nail it this year, with a nice wide sweet spot that they were able to hit consistently, but other than that teams have struggled for consistency in this rules set. Even in 2023 when RedBull dominated they seemed to really have to work for that performance and could only do it in away that Max could live with for most of the year. I’m not sure whether differences in performance within a race can be a thing again, we’ve not really seen any evidence for that.
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I saw this post from Merc - obviously it’s a nice celebration of some real engineering excellence, but given you don’t see these sorts of side by side images very often - I was also struck by just how big the 2022 cars got and how much the engine architecture has changed over the years in terms of the ancillaries.
It’s a shame they couldn’t have put Senna’s MP4/6 next to these to show how they have evolved, but not in a good way.
Don`t know if I should give this a like or not.It`s so horrific to be reminded of this terrable crash,but it`s good of you tto post it Number 1 to let us hear how Romain never gave up hope of getting out of that fireball alive,and I`m so glad that he did.
So I will like it. Thanks.
So I will like it. Thanks.
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I took your like as in Thanks for posting it , not as in glad it happened .
As a Williams supporter I am dissapointed , but we don’t know the reason yet .
Williams will not take part in next week’s Formula 1 pre-season test at Barcelona, the team has revealed.
F1 will reconvene next week at the Catalan track as the world championship’s new era begins, with overhauled technical regulations featuring active aerodynamics and a near-50:50 split between combustion and electric power.
F1 squads have been open about the scale of the challenge presented by the revamped rules, and Williams’ car development has been delayed to the extent that Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz won’t run in the Barcelona test. The event is scheduled from 26-30 January, with every outfit allowed three days of running out of five.
“Williams F1 Team has taken the decision not to participate in next week’s shakedown test in Barcelona following delays in the FW48 programme as we continue to push for maximum car performance,” a statement from the Grove-based outfit reads.
“The team will instead conduct a series of tests including a VTT [Virtual Test Track] programme next week with the 2026 car to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain and the first race of the season in Melbourne.
“We are looking forward to getting on track in the coming weeks and want to thank all our fans for your continued support – there is a lot to look forward to together in 2026.”
The hardship is reminiscent of the 2019 pre-season, at a time when Williams was in a dire financial situation. That year, the team missed its own planned shakedown as well as the first two days of the collective Barcelona test, completing limited running in the next two days.
The context is different nowadays, with the outfit well funded by owner Dorilton Capital, but equally there was no significant regulatory overhaul back in 2019.
The second pre-season test is taking place in Bahrain from 11-13 February, meaning Williams has plenty of time to meet that deadline.
Williams will not take part in next week’s Formula 1 pre-season test at Barcelona, the team has revealed.
F1 will reconvene next week at the Catalan track as the world championship’s new era begins, with overhauled technical regulations featuring active aerodynamics and a near-50:50 split between combustion and electric power.
F1 squads have been open about the scale of the challenge presented by the revamped rules, and Williams’ car development has been delayed to the extent that Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz won’t run in the Barcelona test. The event is scheduled from 26-30 January, with every outfit allowed three days of running out of five.
“Williams F1 Team has taken the decision not to participate in next week’s shakedown test in Barcelona following delays in the FW48 programme as we continue to push for maximum car performance,” a statement from the Grove-based outfit reads.
“The team will instead conduct a series of tests including a VTT [Virtual Test Track] programme next week with the 2026 car to prepare for the first official test in Bahrain and the first race of the season in Melbourne.
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“We are looking forward to getting on track in the coming weeks and want to thank all our fans for your continued support – there is a lot to look forward to together in 2026.”
The hardship is reminiscent of the 2019 pre-season, at a time when Williams was in a dire financial situation. That year, the team missed its own planned shakedown as well as the first two days of the collective Barcelona test, completing limited running in the next two days.
The context is different nowadays, with the outfit well funded by owner Dorilton Capital, but equally there was no significant regulatory overhaul back in 2019.
The second pre-season test is taking place in Bahrain from 11-13 February, meaning Williams has plenty of time to meet that deadline.