F1 2026 season

[Blackpool Rock]

It's the history, the heritage, the fact that Ferrari are essentially a national team. Ferrari are as important to F1 as F1 is to Ferrari.

Red Bull exceeded the budget cap in 2021, and considering that a new car was introduced in 2022, with a completely different aerodynamic profile, they would have been unable to benefit from any technical advantage from their 2021 car.

Apart from the overspend in 2021 would have also be used to develop the 2022 car, a quick Google indicates -

Yes, Red Bull's minor 2021 cost cap overspend, though small in percentage (around 1.6%), was believed by some to have given them an advantage, potentially benefiting their dominant 2022 car by allowing extra development or lightweight parts, especially with new 2022 regulations demanding a fresh start

New Regulations: The 2022 season brought major new car regulations, meaning most of the 2021 budget was actually spent developing the 2022 car.

[mr.bluesky]

Apart from the overspend in 2021 would have also be used to develop the 2022 car, a quick Google indicates -

Yes, Red Bull's minor 2021 cost cap overspend, though small in percentage (around 1.6%), was believed by some to have given them an advantage, potentially benefiting their dominant 2022 car by allowing extra development or lightweight parts, especially with new 2022 regulations demanding a fresh start

New Regulations: The 2022 season brought major new car regulations, meaning most of the 2021 budget was actually spent developing the 2022 car.

Not forgetting Red Bull run two teams so despite their cap overspend development and techical data could be shared between the two teams 

[stampjones]

I don't really have a team but tend to not want Ferrari to win on the basis so many glory hunters have always rooted for them, more recently I don't want RB to win after all the shit where Sir LH was denied a title, combine that with Karen and Max Brat constantly whining and the development overspend giving them an unfair advantage for however many seasons 

I always support all the Brits

I interesting that you hate red bull for a pretty insignificant overspend one year and think LH was denied a title by one error over a season which contained many mistakes in both directions; and yet you seem to have no problem with LH winning his first title in a car that was more or less the same as the one that had been banned the previous year for being mostly built from stolen ferrari designs. If you dont like RB or MV, fair enough, but at least be honest about why

[ratedj]

Apart from the overspend in 2021 would have also be used to develop the 2022 car, a quick Google indicates -

Yes, Red Bull's minor 2021 cost cap overspend, though small in percentage (around 1.6%), was believed by some to have given them an advantage, potentially benefiting their dominant 2022 car by allowing extra development or lightweight parts, especially with new 2022 regulations demanding a fresh start

New Regulations: The 2022 season brought major new car regulations, meaning most of the 2021 budget was actually spent developing the 2022 car.

‘Google is your friend’ lol. Had Red Bull severely breached the ‘21 cap any severe sanctions, such as stripping Max of his tittle, would have applied to ‘21. As the FIA concluded, the breach was procedural and minor. From 2022 up until the mid point of 2024 Red Bull just did a better job than everyone else.

[Blackpool Rock]

I interesting that you hate red bull for a pretty insignificant overspend one year and think LH was denied a title by one error over a season which contained many mistakes in both directions; and yet you seem to have no problem with LH winning his first title in a car that was more or less the same as the one that had been banned the previous year for being mostly built from stolen ferrari designs. If you dont like RB or MV, fair enough, but at least be honest about why

Both drivers / teams made mistakes they always will but RB / Max were basically gifted the title in that last race by the officials and when it's the last race there's no coming back from that
Horner hounded the officials until they fucked up, perhaps I just still have that old fashioned British sense of fair play like Sir Stirling Moss but if I win at anything then I want to know that i've done it the right way, fairly, no satisfaction for me in getting a hollow victory but I guess that's the way sport has increasingly gone whether it's F1 or Footy 

[Blackpool Rock]

‘Google is your friend’ lol. Had Red Bull severely breached the ‘21 cap any severe sanctions, such as stripping Max of his tittle, would have applied to ‘21. As the FIA concluded, the breach was procedural and minor. From 2022 up until the mid point of 2024 Red Bull just did a better job than everyone else.

Perhaps you should try Google out 

They did do a better job than everyone else but obviously with a better developed car 

[stampjones]

Both drivers / teams made mistakes they always will but RB / Max were basically gifted the title in that last race by the officials and when it's the last race there's no coming back from that
Horner hounded the officials until they fucked up, perhaps I just still have that old fashioned British sense of fair play like Sir Stirling Moss but if I win at anything then I want to know that i've done it the right way, fairly, no satisfaction for me in getting a hollow victory but I guess that's the way sport has increasingly gone whether it's F1 or Footy 

I meant officials making mistakes rather than drivers. Sure the lapped cars thing shouldn't have happened but it was one fuck up by officials in a season full of them. It didnt itself give red bull the title anymore than any of the others. It was just the most obvious one because of when it happened but even in that race alone you could easily say it balanced out with the equally bizarre decision to make lewis give up the gap rather than the position when he saved his place by going off track at the start. And even if you think it was the error, it wasnt redbull that made it. Horner wasnt asking that 5 cars be let by he was asking that they restart the race. The 5 car thing was the RD (forgotten his name) all on his own. Given that, what do you want, have RB or MV say that Lewis could have the title? Come on. Lewis didnt do that when he won a title in a stolen car. I suspect you know all this though and you just dont like red bull. Fine, Im not a huge fan of them tbh, but it just gets really boring reading the same shit again and again. It was 5 seasons ago now. Maybe we can move on?

[webpunter]

Both drivers / teams made mistakes they always will but RB / Max were basically gifted the title in that last race by the officials and when it's the last race there's no coming back from that
Horner hounded the officials until they fucked up, perhaps I just still have that old fashioned British sense of fair play like Sir Stirling Moss but if I win at anything then I want to know that i've done it the right way, fairly, no satisfaction for me in getting a hollow victory but I guess that's the way sport has increasingly gone whether it's F1 or Footy 

Think its on the iPlayer a documentary about SirSM, maybe Netflix
The ultimate sports person
I cant remember the exact details however he didnt want to exploit the problems his nearest rival faced
Worth a watch

[webpunter]

It was 5 seasons ago now. Maybe we can move on?

The uBer milf Hannah Waddingham opened the 2024 British GP
External Link/Members Only
What a set of lungs on her not much
I reck GR has got a boner forming & positions his hands accordingly 

External Link/Members Only
This appears to have no sound
If you download it, ta-da

External Link/Members Only
The Primetime Emmy winner said it was "very cool to meet you Mr Coulthard" before adding:
[i reck DC has a boner too, HW a big step up from Suzi Perry who has wanted to be Mrs DC forevva]
HW: "You know what, I've waited a long time to be here and am I allowed to say that I'm very much looking forward to seeing Lewis Hamilton, eight-time champion?"

HW has spoken [good enuf for me] we all know what happened & who is the 8TWC & GOAT
Good girl

& the manipulative sex pest pervert ginger whinger cunt Karen got the spanish archer treatment
I wonder if he's still living in the stables @ Halliwell Towers ?
Geri will have known that Karen in line for a mahoosive payoff so better to delay divorce proceedings & then cash in, me likey 
A bit surprising Karen chose to dip his quill in the company ink
RB based in MK which is hooker central 

It is indeed time to move on 

[mr.bluesky]

From looking at early iterations of the 2026 cars it’s already clear that the FIA were asleep at the wheel between 2022 and 2025 because this is what an F1 car should look like.

Hidden Image/Members Only

Hidden Image/Members Only


Haas have revealed their new car livery for the 2026 season

[ratedj]

Mercedes W17 and Ferrari SF-26 on track.

Hidden Image/Members Only

[ratedj]

So the Aston Martin has broken cover and the first thing you can say is…it looks like an Adrian Newey car. However, it only managed 4 laps before stopping on the track. Has some interesting features, including a Ferrari-style airbox. The engine cover is extremely tightly packaged, but the one thing that will get everyone talking is the rear suspension, which has the upper wishbone attached to the rear wing, a complete outlier.

Hidden Image/Members Only

Hidden Image/Members Only

[webpunter]

@rj you are on it in terms of F1 new intel 
interesting stuff

see how much benefit AN can bring
aston will always be pulled back by having a huge slice of nepotism in the team
alonso [respec  ] there as a driver & tutor, there is only soo much he do

i can envisage lance as a kid turning up at karting with a full works team the very latest gear a mahoosive lorry & equally large motorhome
& at the other end of the scale LH rocks up with his dad towing a trailer behind his Sierra [toolbox in the boot] a kart cobbled together from spare parts & used tyres with a tent as accomo for the weekend
& he still wins 

[Blackpool Rock]

So the Aston Martin has broken cover and the first thing you can say is…it looks like an Adrian Newey car. However, it only managed 4 laps before stopping on the track. Has some interesting features, including a Ferrari-style airbox. The engine cover is extremely tightly packaged, but the one thing that will get everyone talking is the rear suspension, which has the upper wishbone attached to the rear wing, a complete outlier.

Hidden Image/Members Only

Hidden Image/Members Only

Newey is an F1 design genius, be interesting to see exactly how good the car is and would be good to see a new / different team leading the charge this season 

[mr.bluesky]

Newey is an F1 design genius, be interesting to see exactly how good the car is and would be good to see a new / different team leading the charge this season

It should be an interesting season with the new car regulations meaning all the teams starting from scratch. With no DRS as such available but modified front wings which will have flaps that are adjustable which will aid high speed cornering when closed ( more downforce)  and high speed when open on the straights. Front wing design will play a massive part this coming season and teams that have got it right from the start will have the early advantage until other teams suss it out. Gone are those little wheel arches from above the wheels this season too which were originally bought in to smooth the airflow around the wheels . The wheels will be the same diameter 18" but narrower to compensate air flow .
Will MV trigger his release clause from Red Bull if they are not competetive from the off , if so where will he go ? Mercedes will be the likely option. Toto Wolff has made no secret that he wants him in a Mercedes. 

[Monaco]

i can envisage lance as a kid turning up at karting with a full works team the very latest gear a mahoosive lorry & equally large motorhome
& at the other end of the scale LH rocks up with his dad towing a trailer behind his Sierra [toolbox in the boot] a kart cobbled together from spare parts & used tyres with a tent as accomo for the weekend
& he still wins 

As a kid Lance used to take a helicopter to the kart track his dad built for him,it was 15 minutes away not forgetting him buying Prema Powerteam for him in F3.
I get the feeling in later life Lance will admit he hated racing much like a lot of ex tennis players have done.

[shaft10]

It should be an interesting season with the new car regulations meaning all the teams starting from scratch. With no DRS as such available but modified front wings which will have flaps that are adjustable which will aid high speed cornering when closed ( more downforce)  and high speed when open on the straights. Front wing design will play a massive part this coming season and teams that have got it right from the start will have the early advantage until other teams suss it out. Gone are those little wheel arches from above the wheels this season too which were originally bought in to smooth the airflow around the wheels . The wheels will be the same diameter 18" but narrower to compensate air flow .
Will MV trigger his release clause from Red Bull if they are not competetive from the off , if so where will he go ? Mercedes will be the likely option. Toto Wolff has made no secret that he wants him in a Mercedes. 

Would be interesting to see where George Russel would go as I couldn't see him playing second fiddle to MV ..

[webpunter]

As a kid Lance used to take a helicopter to the kart track his dad built for him,it was 15 minutes away not forgetting him buying Prema Powerteam for him in F3.
I get the feeling in later life Lance will admit he hated racing much like a lot of ex tennis players have done.

Crikey
More time to fire the chopper up fly then land than driving there
A kart track with a heli landing pad well i never spoilt or what
If he did have any mates they'd soon get bored of going karting so who did he race with ?
Probably paid for kart racers to help him improve

He doesn't strike me as being a committed driver far from it
& would rather be doing something else as you mention

As for his dad i would wager that he's familiar with our favourite sport [edit:  & it isn't F1  ]
In a different league paying in a different way cars property gifts holidays bank transfers [large] from obscure accounts he does look a player 

[webpunter]

Talk Sport had a section with Karun Chandhok
I really like him & as an ex F1 driver he knows his onions
He is able to put over stuff that is interesting for both new & more seasoned F1 fans

He ran over the new changes like battery power @ 50% [prev 10%-20%]
& his opinion that the teams with a combined chassis & power set up should be ahead of the curve especially in the earlier races
& that this would favour Mercedes / Ferrari with Red Bull & Audi behind
He didn't mention the other teams only two of note McLaren & AstonM
He tipped GR to be WC
It would be great if Mercedes & Ferrari battle it out through the season

[ratedj]

@rj you are on it in terms of F1 new intel 
interesting stuff

I was keeping tabs on testing this week, and it was interesting to see the different designs and actual cars rather than the digital renders.

Talk Sport had a section with Karun Chandhok
I really like him & as an ex F1 driver he knows his onions
He is able to put over stuff that is interesting for both new & more seasoned F1 fans

He ran over the new changes like battery power @ 50% [prev 10%-20%]
& his opinion that the teams with a combined chassis & power set up should be ahead of the curve especially in the earlier races
& that this would favour Mercedes / Ferrari with Red Bull & Audi behind
He didn't mention the other teams only two of note McLaren & AstonM
He tipped GR to be WC
It would be great if Mercedes & Ferrari battle it out through the season

Everyone is tipping GR to be champion because of 2014 but it's still early days, though Mercedes look good so far. The factory teams all have an advantage as there's integration between the chassis and engine departments. The ICE is going to be very important this year due to the near 50/50 split with the electrical power, plus the MGU-H no longer exists to regenerate energy. Then there's also the sustainable fuel.

[ratedj]

It should be an interesting season with the new car regulations meaning all the teams starting from scratch. With no DRS as such available but modified front wings which will have flaps that are adjustable which will aid high speed cornering when closed ( more downforce)  and high speed when open on the straights. Front wing design will play a massive part this coming season and teams that have got it right from the start will have the early advantage until other teams suss it out. Gone are those little wheel arches from above the wheels this season too which were originally bought in to smooth the airflow around the wheels . The wheels will be the same diameter 18" but narrower to compensate air flow .
Will MV trigger his release clause from Red Bull if they are not competetive from the off , if so where will he go ? Mercedes will be the likely option. Toto Wolff has made no secret that he wants him in a Mercedes. 

The active aero also exists at the rear wing, with the rear wing working exactly the same as DRS did, but they decided to give it a new name for some unknown reason. The cars will be faster on straights due to the active aero but will be generating less downforce, so they will be slower than the GE cars and '17 - '21 era.

If Max leaves he will go to Mercedes or AM.

[webpunter]

If Max leaves he will go to Mercedes or AM.

It will be a combination of the fastest [ish] car & money [driver dosh outside the cost cap, obvs]

The deep pocketed Ferrari have LH tied in to end 2027 with a year extension which can be triggered by either party
Leclerc 2028 - 2029

So yep one of these two teams

GR's contract running this year with a 1 year extension depending on performance targets so this creates an opening

Lawrence having spunked millions on a team for his son to race in might as well blow some more on MV reuniting him with AN
Pushing them up the grid for sure & increasing the value of the team [no idea how much he's invested but he'll deffo see a return on this]

[mr.bluesky]

Apparently drivers like Verstappen and Alonso are not impressed with the new regulation F1 cars, they say they can't corner at high speeds but have to conserve energy for the straights. They say the cars are becoming too much like Formula E cars.

[ratedj]

Apparently drivers like Verstappen and Alonso are not impressed with the new regulation F1 cars, they say they can't corner at high speeds but have to conserve energy for the straights. They say the cars are becoming too much like Formula E cars.

This situation was predicted a long time ago. These cars are too energy starved with the near 50/50 ICE/electric split. Drivers having to potentially lift n coast in qualifying is not peak F1. If drivers are already saying this at a track like Bahrain, which is one of the easier ones to recover energy, then we can only imagine what tracks like Jeddah and Monza will look like. At Least Max can console himself with the fact that he looks to have a competitive car, whereas the AM is currently miles off.

[mr.bluesky]

Too early to say but a some of bookies seem to be making George Russell as an early season favourite to be F1 world champion this season and Mercedes to be back at the forefront of the grid.

[shaft10]

Too early to say but a some of bookies seem to be making George Russell as an early season favourite to be F1 world champion this season and Mercedes to be back at the forefront of the grid.

I'm gonna go early and say my money is on Verstappen 

[mr.bluesky]

Hidden Image/Members Only

Don't often agree with Bernie but I think he is right on this occassion.

[Blackpool Rock]

Hidden Image/Members Only

Don't often agree with Bernie but I think he is right on this occassion.

Yeah, the thing is though i'm wondering if there will come a time when you can't actually buy a petrol car anymore or only say 10% of cars sold are petrol at which point F1 racing petrol fuelled cars becomes a bit irrelevant 

Although I guess you could probably already say that as originally it was used to showcase engineering excellence to promote the brand and sell more cars, as the saying went (I believe it was Enzo Ferrari) win on Sunday, sell on Monday but the cars you see racing in F1 are just so far removed these days from a normal road car.
Touring cars are probably more relevant to what someone's likely to actually buy but even these are so heavily modified to not really be a fair representation

Motorbikes are actually fairly close, watch the IMO TT and you can actually buy the stock machines from your local dealer and do 200MPH 

[Blackpool Rock]

I read this about Aston Martin, looks like Mr Stroll will have to spend a shit load more cash to try and get his son anywhere near the front and looks like Newey hasn't produced the expected masterpiece that he so often does interpreting any new regulation changes

External Link/Members Only

[Watts.E.Dunn]

Yep and from that this bit which i think expalins most all of it;(..

"Still, the argument is that without a fully dedicated F1 engine department, Honda lacked a team designing and building a new engine to the revised rules for this year, and had to build one up again more or less from scratch".

Probally the only F1 engine supplier makeing ones for Lawn Mowers!!!..

[ratedj]

Hidden Image/Members Only

Don't often agree with Bernie but I think he is right on this occassion.

You know you have a problem when even modern day Bernie is speaking sense!

[ratedj]

Yeah, the thing is though i'm wondering if there will come a time when you can't actually buy a petrol car anymore or only say 10% of cars sold are petrol at which point F1 racing petrol fuelled cars becomes a bit irrelevant 

Although I guess you could probably already say that as originally it was used to showcase engineering excellence to promote the brand and sell more cars, as the saying went (I believe it was Enzo Ferrari) win on Sunday, sell on Monday but the cars you see racing in F1 are just so far removed these days from a normal road car.
Touring cars are probably more relevant to what someone's likely to actually buy but even these are so heavily modified to not really be a fair representation

Motorbikes are actually fairly close, watch the IMO TT and you can actually buy the stock machines from your local dealer and do 200MPH 

F1 currently has an identity crisis. It doesn't need to be relative to the motor industry and it wasn't formed based on this idea. If the FIA want to produce technology relevant to the motor industry then it has Formula E for this. The previous gen hybrid PUs were only cascaded to supercars/hypercars that will be marketed to a limited customer base.

GT3 cars are very similar to their production counterparts. The base and engine are the same, with the main difference deriving from the aero package/lighter weight. There are many pro am drivers competing in various championships.

[mr.bluesky]

Motorbikes are actually fairly close, watch the IMO TT and you can actually buy the stock machines from your local dealer and do 200MPH 

This is how the World superbike championship came about. They are basically production bikes with some modifications.  The idea was that you could go into a bike dealership, buy a normal road bike ,make a few modifications to it then go racing
Moto gp bikes are out and out racing bikes developed for the sole intention of racing.

[ratedj]

For anyone who’s not tuned in to pre season testing there seems to be a perception, give or take, of this being the current pecking order:

Mercedes
Ferrari
McLaren
Red Bull

Big gap

Haas/Alpine
Alpine/Haas
Racing Bulls
Audi
Williams

Big gap

Cadillac 
Aston Martin

Most teams will bring upgrades to Australia. It’s also gonna be interesting to see how the cars react to the energy-poor nature of Australia, which is the compete opposite of Bahrain.

[mr.bluesky]

For anyone who’s not tuned in to pre season testing there seems to be a perception, give or take, of this being the current pecking order:

Mercedes
Ferrari
McLaren
Red Bull

Big gap

Haas/Alpine
Alpine/Haas
Racing Bulls
Audi
Williams

Big gap

Cadillac 
Aston Martin

Most teams will bring upgrades to Australia. It’s also gonna be interesting to see how the cars react to the energy-poor nature of Australia, which is the compete opposite of Bahrain.

Surprised Aston Martin struggling, Adrian Newey failing to work his magic from the off. Early days yet, I'm sure teams will be bringing in upgrades straight after the first race.

[mr.bluesky]

With all the trouble kicking off in the middle East I would imagine the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grand prix's will be moved somewhere else, these races are not scheduled until April but you would think it would be too risky for them to go ahead

[webpunter]

With all the trouble kicking off in the middle East I would imagine the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grand prix's will be moved somewhere else, these races are not scheduled until April but you would think it would be too risky for them to go ahead

Bahrain is towards the top of the list of crap circuits only included given the money it generates
Saudi isn't far behind, suppose at least its fast

[Iamforreal]

Just watched the quali, looks like Mercedes are going to run away with it this year, although Hadjar looked good, so Max will be even better.
A bit disappointed with McLaren, I expected my man Lando to be in top 5, let's see how it goes tomorrow on the long run.
Ferrari also looked good until Q3.

[ratedj]

Just watched the quali, looks like Mercedes are going to run away with it this year, although Hadjar looked good, so Max will be even better.
A bit disappointed with McLaren, I expected my man Lando to be in top 5, let's see how it goes tomorrow on the long run.
Ferrari also looked good until Q3.

Welcome to F1 2014. We’re back with an engine formula. Listening to Toto, he says so much shit. IMO he’s worse than Horner.

Ferrari had deployment issues from Q2. McLaren are where they expected to be; it’s just that no one expected the gap to Mercedes to be so big.

[mr.bluesky]

Just watched the quali, looks like Mercedes are going to run away with it this year, although Hadjar looked good, so Max will be even better.
A bit disappointed with McLaren, I expected my man Lando to be in top 5, let's see how it goes tomorrow on the long run.
Ferrari also looked good until Q3.

Early days yet with the new cars, every one said the same thing last season about McLaren being the dominant team but Red  Bull made some improvements and came on strong towards the end. It will be exactly the same this season. Drivers will take a few races to get to grips with the new cars and how they have to drive them especially with the ride height of the cars being bigger so not so much downforce and grip.

[ratedj]

Early days yet with the new cars, every one said the same thing last season about McLaren being the dominant team but Red  Bull made some improvements and came on strong towards the end. It will be exactly the same this season. Drivers will take a few races to get to grips with the new cars and how they have to drive them especially with the ride height of the cars being bigger so not so much downforce and grip.

This isn’t like last year. A 0.8 gap to P3 is huge. Mercedes have a baked in advantage (and let’s not discuss the compression ratio) as the power units are now homologated. The lap comparison between George and Charles’s fastest Q2 times showed Charles was faster in all the corners, whereas George was faster on every straight. That’s all about energy deployment.

Drivers are not struggling with the lower downforce and higher ride heights. They are struggling with consistent energy deployment. It’s the single biggest differentiator at the moment. Super clipping and downshifting on straights are not peak F1.

[Blackpool Rock]

Early days yet with the new cars, every one said the same thing last season about McLaren being the dominant team but Red  Bull made some improvements and came on strong towards the end. It will be exactly the same this season. Drivers will take a few races to get to grips with the new cars and how they have to drive them especially with the ride height of the cars being bigger so not so much downforce and grip.

Clearly it will take the cars a few races to bed in and once improvements are made we will have a clearer picture as to who is in the mix, quite a lot of reliability issues which is more like looking back at cars from the 1960's where it was a lottery whether or not you finished the race.
In some ways the previous cars being so reliable was almost a bit boring as there was no real sense of jeopardy once a driver went out in front by 20 seconds but now nothing is guaranteed

[webpunter]

This isn’t like last year. A 0.8 gap to P3 is huge. Mercedes have a baked in advantage (and let’s not discuss the compression ratio) as the power units are now homologated. The lap comparison between George and Charles’s fastest Q2 times showed Charles was faster in all the corners, whereas George was faster on every straight. That’s all about energy deployment.

Drivers are not struggling with the lower downforce and higher ride heights. They are struggling with consistent energy deployment. It’s the single biggest differentiator at the moment. Super clipping and downshifting on straights are not peak F1.

Me thinks easier to get used to energy management than sort the cornering abilities
Might give Ferrari a slight edge going forward

Antonelli P2 with a car not calibrated after stacking it
Nailed it George might be a little nervous
Or Mercedes made a very good guess on the set up
Tho how they overlooked removing Antonelli's cooling fans in the sidepods i have no idea
Presuming there will be some punishment could this include a grid penalty ?

[Iamforreal]

Me thinks easier to get used to energy management than sort the cornering abilities
Might give Ferrari a slight edge going forward

Antonelli P2 with a car not calibrated after stacking it
Nailed it George might be a little nervous
Or Mercedes made a very good guess on the set up
Tho how they overlooked removing Antonelli's cooling fans in the sidepods i have no idea
Presuming there will be some punishment could this include a grid penalty ?

They got fined £6500 for the incident...peanuts for them 

[scouting]

Clearly it will take the cars a few races to bed in and once improvements are made we will have a clearer picture as to who is in the mix, quite a lot of reliability issues which is more like looking back at cars from the 1960's where it was a lottery whether or not you finished the race.
In some ways the previous cars being so reliable was almost a bit boring as there was no real sense of jeopardy once a driver went out in front by 20 seconds but now nothing is guaranteed

And remember when the turbos were introduced in the late 70's/early 80's - they would be flying until halfway through a race a white plume climbed behind them as metal met oil and water. By the mid 80's they were the norm.

[Blackpool Rock]

And remember when the turbos were introduced in the late 70's/early 80's - they would be flying until halfway through a race a white plume climbed behind them as metal met oil and water. By the mid 80's they were the norm.

I guess reliability while much better was still an issue in the late 80's and into the 90's as I can recall the likes of Mansell and Hill grinding to a halt on the last lap after being well clear of the field

[ratedj]

Me thinks easier to get used to energy management than sort the cornering abilities
Might give Ferrari a slight edge going forward

Antonelli P2 with a car not calibrated after stacking it
Nailed it George might be a little nervous
Or Mercedes made a very good guess on the set up
Tho how they overlooked removing Antonelli's cooling fans in the sidepods i have no idea
Presuming there will be some punishment could this include a grid penalty ?

It’s more a question of where you choose to deploy, and all the teams are struggling with this. Different teams have different deployment strategies. Generally, at least in AUS, teams are having to give up some corner speed in order to use them to recharge the battery as there aren’t enough hard braking zones. The Ferrari has a good aero profile but with its current deployment state it will lose too much time on power-sensitive tracks.

Mercedes have a good chassis but their energy deployment/recovery is clearly different to all the other Mercedes-powered teams. Andrea Stella’s already said Mercedes has an advantage over McLaren as they control the management software. On ANT, I think he will be more of a problem for George than most people anticipate, but he can’t have silly crashes like the one in FP3, knowing that he has a championship-challenging car.

[Iamforreal]

It’s more a question of where you choose to deploy, and all the teams are struggling with this. Different teams have different deployment strategies. Generally, at least in AUS, teams are having to give up some corner speed in order to use them to recharge the battery as there aren’t enough hard braking zones. The Ferrari has a good aero profile but with its current deployment state it will lose too much time on power-sensitive tracks.

Mercedes have a good chassis but their energy deployment/recovery is clearly different to all the other Mercedes-powered teams. Andrea Stella’s already said Mercedes has an advantage over McLaren as they control the management software. On ANT, I think he will be more of a problem for George than most people anticipate, but he can’t have silly crashes like the one in FP3, knowing that he has a championship-challenging car.

I like Kimi, definitely world champion material in the years to come.

[Iamforreal]

Enjoyable 1st race, especially at the beginning with loads of overtakes between George and Charles.

[Blackpool Rock]

Enjoyable 1st race, especially at the beginning with loads of overtakes between George and Charles.

C4 highlights for me and I like to try and avoid the result, fat fucking chance with it being in Oz and the time difference, 1st thing this morning when I looked at the time on my phone was to see who'd won