[proton007]

Another 'interesting' race.
 
(>.<) zzZ

 

[Pudu]

Ted: "Look how thick Esteban Gutiérrez's neck is. It gets thicker and thicker every race ... Hi Esteban, how are you?"

And unfortunate for Esteban that he had tire wear issues, actually, uh, why he couldn't convert his, uh, his ... thick neck!

Uh, he couldn't convert his position in qualifying into ...Oh! Maybe it's just a small head. I hadn't thought of that Bob. Maybe he's just got an unbordinately small head, very thick neck."

 

[Exediron]

Good thing Seb wasn't a ludicrous amount faster than the whole field! That would have been boring.
 
I mean seriously, 2 seconds a lap faster? Where the **** did that come from? He was only a few tenths faster in qualy...
 
Some good driving though, further back the field. I thought we had a chance for a McLaren podium for a little bit. Great job from Kimi though - 13th to 3rd, not bad.

 

[proton007]

Vettel booed again...
 
I'm just waiting for him to explode.

 

[Exediron]

Well, according to him he doesn't mind it. Good for him I suppose, though I wonder if it's true.
 
What I don't understand is why the commentators keep saying they don't understand the booing. Yes, I agree it's bad form - people shouldn't do it - but the reason is obvious: it's not that Vettel is winning, it's that the way he wins doesn't give us a show. Watching Vettel drive is only interesting from a technical point of view, because he's always doing it alone! We don't have races where it comes down to the last few laps for the winner - typically (as today) we know the winner from the first corner, or even before. That's just not as enjoyable as it would be. Vettel won in Germany, and I enjoyed that race. It's all about the way he won. Two seconds a lap faster is just inane. Nobody should be able to do that within the same formula.
 
EDIT: Did anyone else think, listening to Vettel at the end, that he threw that line in about how it was such a team effort just to satisfy the people who complain that he acts like it's all about him? Ever since the booing started he's also been careful to mention how great the car was after every race, I've also noticed.

 

[Pudu]

To be fair to him, he almost always has said 'thank you boys' to the team after every win since they started broadcasting team radio.

 

[proton007]

Well, according to Hamilton its not him they're booing, its F1 itself.
Vettel's been racing alone in the front all these races, the Singapore race just amplified that gap.

I think he's going to realise it soon, he's not fighting anyone, and no one notices him because he was out in the front.

 

[Pudu]

Ya, I'm booing F1 too.

It's a formula - they should change the formula to ensure there is less disparity between teams. One year of single team dominance is acceptable .... but 4? Or how about 9 in the past 20?

They are so scared to hamstring aero but at some point they have to or we will have 4 teams in f1 with one always dominating an era.

 

[proton007]

Ya, I'm booing F1 too.

It's a formula - they should change the formula to ensure there is less disparity between teams. One year of single team dominance is acceptable .... but 4? Or how about 9 in the past 20?

They are so scared to hamstring aero but at some point they have to or we will have 4 teams in f1 with one always dominating an era.

 
Well, they just end up offering teams a lot more money to stay. I'm pretty sure many of the teams wouldn't be around if the money wasn't good.

 

[Pudu]

Did you catch the interview with Tony Fernandes in Singapore?

 

[proton007]

Did you catch the interview with Tony Fernandes in Singapore?

 
The one about the engines?

 

[Pudu]

SINGAPORE - Caterham boss Tony Fernandes said Formula One "screwed up" the chance to keep costs under control as teams face a dramatic escalation next year. The Malaysian entrepreneur said teams failed to come together and make a concerted effort to keep costs down, and also agreed to the extra expense of introducing a new type of engine in 2014.

"I think the teams didn't get together. The teams had a wonderful opportunity to try and create a fair, equitable split so that the sport is sustainable," he said ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. "Teams looked at things on an individual basis as opposed to working together in FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) and trying to find a win-win situation for everyone and create a very healthy environment in a sustainable sport. We screwed it up, it's as simple as that."


Fernandes has said in-fighting in FOTA was to blame for the failure to implement cost controls. Several teams are struggling for money, and HRT went to the wall last year. Teams have recently finished negotiations for a new Concorde Agreement to govern the sport and decide how to share profits in coming seasons. And with an eye on environmental concerns, they will switch to smaller, 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines and limit their fuel supply.

"I've been consistent since day one that I've been in Formula One that costs are too high," Fernandes, who also helms budget airline AirAsia and English football club QPR, said late on Friday.

"When I came into Formula One, people talked to me about costs coming down but I don't think there's been a single year it's come down. I think next year will be probably the highest year -- so I think there's something fundamentally wrong. I don't think it's just the engine, by the way, I think the teams lost out an opportunity to get costs under control. I think self-interest overrode the sport and we are as much to blame for this problem as an engine."

AFP

 

[proton007]

I thought V6 should be cheaper, because you know, smaller engine.
 
Going by this example, a V12 should be cheaper than a V8. Thats illogical.
 
To me it looks like a deliberate attempt to sabotage the plans for next year, maybe the rich teams want to create a financial challenge for the not-so-rich ones?

 

[Pudu]

It's because of a couple of things.

First engine development has been frozen for so long that they haven't been spending much (comparatively) on power-train - which is why it was frozen in the first place.

So now they have a new, more complicated engine with new technology (turbos haven't been used for decades) which needs new power train, new exhaust, new fuel systems ... basically the whole car has to be redesigned around the new technology rather than adapting last year's car. Also the new power plants have two different energy recovery systems which is more complicated and expensive. And they have to be 50% more fuel efficient - which again costs hugely during development.

For 2014 they are looking at a massive upfront capitol investment. The regulations are basically forcing F1 teams to innovate with technology trickle-down in mind rather than just thinking about winning the championships.


One thing I don't understand is how they can introduce these new regs and still enforce the stringent engine and gearbox quotas. I predict a ton of grid penalties next year for drivers just from reliability issues which is ... not really a good thing I think.

 

[proton007]

It's because of a couple of things.

First engine development has been frozen for so long that they haven't been spending much (comparatively) on power-train - which is why it was frozen in the first place.

So now they have a new, more complicated engine with new technology (turbos haven't been used for decades) which needs new power train, new exhaust, new fuel systems ... basically the whole car has to be redesigned around the new technology rather than adapting last year's car. Also the new power plants have two different energy recovery systems which is more complicated and expensive. And they have to be 50% more fuel efficient - which again costs hugely during development.

For 2014 they are looking at a massive upfront capitol investment. The regulations are basically forcing F1 teams to innovate with technology trickle-down in mind rather than just thinking about winning the championships.


One thing I don't understand is how they can introduce these new regs and still enforce the stringent engine and gearbox quotas. I predict a ton of grid penalties next year for drivers just from reliability issues which is ... not really a good thing I think.

 
So essentially the issue comes from a change in the engine. I think it would've been the same when they switched from V10 to V8.
 
That said, the costs will widely vary among teams depending on how modular their components are. Some will suffer greatly.
I think the teams should already be in the process of developing and testing the cars for next season.
 
Its a catch 22 situation.
One way to keep costs down is to standardize cars, which isn't very viable.
The second one is maintain the status quo, which isn't very good for F1's image.
 
A third, but far fetched option would be to make the formula simpler.
 
So teams don't really have any option. On the bright side, the V6 formula is going to stay for a long time.