F1 2014

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Lemming
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F1 2014

Post by Lemming »

Not many of us F1 fans here I think but seems worth trying to start a conversation.

From what I've gathered from winter testing, Mercedes are ahead, Lotus are in serious trouble, Red Bull are off to a slow start and Williams are massively resurgent (everybody loves Williams don't they?)

Looks like the season might be an epic battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Williams might play the role that Lotus played last year and Red Bull are bound to get involved later on in the year. Not sure where McLaren and Ferrari are. They may be just behind Mercedes or they may be behind Force India.

The first couple of races could be carnage. Breakdowns all over the place. A great chance for the lesser teams - if they can limp to the finish they'll probably score some points. I think Lotus and Caterham will be lucky to survive the season.

Of course, it's also possible that the Mercedes engine only looked strong because it was too conservative, Renault will make their engine work and the season will turn out to be a battle between Red Bull and Ferrari with Lotus playing a supporting role.

What do you think? Prediction for Australia?


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KeyMonCha
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Re: F1 2014

Post by KeyMonCha »

Well, it's nice to see a real sport appearing in this section... :wink:

This season is the first time since 2010 that i've had at least some uncertainty about the way the season might play out... We all knew Mercedes were going to be a threat this year... A real (as far as F1 is concerned) level playing field, and one of the biggest manufacturers on the planet intent on proving themselves... Should be good! :D

I honestly think Lewis might edge Rosberg out in the first couple of races... Not saying that i think Lewis is better, but he's more dynamic and capable of wrestling a difficult car; although, i'm betting Rosberg finishes more races than him.

Red Bull can't be written off either... Are they sandbagging? ...Are Renault making a bigger deal out of the engine problems than actually exist? With Vettle at 9/1 for a win in Australia, I'm tempted to think so and risk a tenner.

Lotus had a good thing going last year and probably could have finished second in the drivers championship if they hadn't let Kimi down so badly... They lost most of their good engineers also, so this years car, in my opinion, isn't going to be as competitive as last years... Personally, i think they blew their only shot.

Williams have shown glimpses of their former awesomeness over the last few seasons, but i'm sick of waiting for the resurgence... Maybe it's never coming. I do think Massa is the best driver they've had since Senna(A) drove for them in 94, with the possible exception of Hulkenberg, who has never really been given the shot he deserves.

For me, the most interesting thing this year is Ferrari, and the two guys sitting in their cars... I'm a total Raikkonen fan boy... I think he should be a 4 time world champ if it wasn't for bad luck... Will he race up to his potential, or will he have another wobbler and stop trying half way through the season? ...Not that Fernando is inferior in any way... I just prefer Kimi... Alonso will, i'm sure, drive the pants off the Ferrari whether it's a dog or a bullet... Always entertaining to watch, and i'm guessing he's not going to let Kimi get the best of him without a really good fight and possibly some very dry insulting. :D

I should probably leave it there... I'll re-read that in a minute, realise i've written a load of bollocks and instantly disagree with myself... :roll:

Vettel's gonna win!!! :lol:
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Padge247
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Re: F1 2014

Post by Padge247 »

This is the first formula one season I have looked forward to in a couple of years =D

Mercedes look strong, and I reckon they are probably stronger than they look (you don't want to give away too much at testing), though in the last test their reliability came under scrutiny for the first time properly since testing began. Personally I am a big Hamilton fan, and really looking forward to him having a good shot at the title !

Ferrari have been quiet, few problems, but mainly hiding back in the shadows, really looking forward to seeing Alonso and Kimi battle out (regardless of where they are in the pecking order, but if Alonso has shown us anything, it is that you don't need the most competitive care to be up at the front) as neither driver is known for accepting second from their team mate.

I think generally over testing McLaren have looked pretty good, though I haven't followed them so closely over testing so not 100% on that. Pundits reckon that Button has the driving style to really make the tyres work on these cars, and as it is the McLaren engine they are using (which has looked the best engine in pre season) I think they could be in with a real shout, at least with Button.

Red Bull. Well they have had a truly awful preseason, very few laps, lots of red flags, but I don't think we should ever write off Red Bull. Throughout the season I imagine they will come back, but I don't think they will win the first race. Adrian Newey is a fantastic car designer, but he is known for compact cars and has often run on the edge off the safe temperatures. The introduction of turbo chargers makes keeping temperatures low all that more important, and I wonder how well this new design is going to achieve that. Regardless, I am sure if it doesn't at first, it wont take long before it does !

Williams look good ! It is nice to see Massa in a position to do well, driving alongside Alonso last season he really failed to impress, I wonder how much loosing the season to Hamilton after doing everything right in the last race is still in the back of his mind.

Given how much of a torrid time the Renault engine teams have had, I wonder how much of a negative effect the halt on engine development is going to have on upgrades ? I don't know alot about this rule, but it is my understanding that the engine manufactures can no longer make alterations to the engines, unless on the grounds of reliability (so maybe in that sense they wont really be hampered at all).

Hamilton to win the first race of the season =)
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Re: F1 2014

Post by KeyMonCha »

Padge247 wrote:
I think generally over testing McLaren have looked pretty good, though I haven't followed them so closely over testing so not 100% on that. Pundits reckon that Button has the driving style to really make the tyres work on these cars, and as it is the McLaren engine they are using (which has looked the best engine in pre season) I think they could be in with a real shout, at least with Button.
Really?

...I must admit that i've already written Mclaren off... It was so easy to forget they were even racing last season. I do like Button, but i put him in the same class as Damon Hill... He had the best car, and his team-mate had some bad luck.... Button was lucky to win a WDC... If i had to bet, i'd put my money on Magnussen outperforming Button in pretty much every race... Maybe shaky at first, but when he's comfortable, i think he'll be a real contender... Hopefully, having Ron back will make some difference to the team, but i'm not expecting them to be in the top 3 constructors this year...

...Hope i'm wrong!
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Padge247
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Re: F1 2014

Post by Padge247 »

Shit, I completely forgot about Magnusson (stoned, my excuse and I am sticking to it). Yes he has been really quick, especially in the first two tests, I think I agree that he will out shine Button !
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Re: F1 2014

Post by KeyMonCha »

Padge247 wrote:Shit, I completely forgot about Magnusson (stoned, my excuse and I am sticking to it). Yes he has been really quick, especially in the first two tests, I think I agree that he will out shine Button !
Easily done... He's yet to make a real mark, but maybe he'll have a season like Lewis had in 07....

...Out on a limb, i'm saying Ferrari for the win in Australia... Merc should win based on pre-season results, but as you said, they don't really mean anything... With their driver line up, especially if it rains, i think either Alonso or Raikkonen have a decent chance.
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Re: F1 2014

Post by Alo »

I'm just glad they put turbos on the cars again.
I'd like to see unlimited fuel and tyres back....
I believe a race should be won by the fastest car and driver
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Re: F1 2014

Post by KeyMonCha »

Alo wrote:I'm just glad they put turbos on the cars again.
I'd like to see unlimited fuel and tyres back....
I believe a race should be won by the fastest car and driver
I mostly agree... But i do miss the excitement of the re-fuels... It's the team, not just the driver who are racing.
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Re: F1 2014

Post by Kermit »

Alo wrote:I'm just glad they put turbos on the cars again.
I'd like to see unlimited fuel and tyres back....
I believe a race should be won by the fastest car and driver
Hell yeah, and dropped the engine size, gonna make the bends a lot more fun as the wheel spin like a mofo, gonna be a lot more entertaining especially in the rain.

Renault, well my love for French cars has been in my blood a long time, they are bloody useless, eat cash quicker than RBS, the saying goes "built by robots, designed by aliens", they will do well if they can get it to start. :lol:

It's gonna be a good season :D
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Re: F1 2014

Post by Alo »

KeyMonCha wrote:
Alo wrote:I'm just glad they put turbos on the cars again.
I'd like to see unlimited fuel and tyres back....
I believe a race should be won by the fastest car and driver
I mostly agree... But i do miss the excitement of the re-fuels... It's the team, not just the driver who are racing.
That's what I'm talking about unlimited fuel stops unlimited tyres then they can push and push and push.
Rather than oh take it easy the tyres are wearing or turn power down we need to safe fuel. Screw that. Race the Damn thing
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Re: F1 2014

Post by KeyMonCha »

Alo wrote:
KeyMonCha wrote:
Alo wrote:I'm just glad they put turbos on the cars again.
I'd like to see unlimited fuel and tyres back....
I believe a race should be won by the fastest car and driver
I mostly agree... But i do miss the excitement of the re-fuels... It's the team, not just the driver who are racing.
That's what I'm talking about unlimited fuel stops unlimited tyres then they can push and push and push.
Rather than oh take it easy the tyres are wearing or turn power down we need to safe fuel. Screw that. Race the Damn thing
Sorry, i misunderstood... I thought when you said Unlimited Fuel, you meant a car topped up to the brim with no re-fueling...

...I agree entirely with your original post! :D
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Re: F1 2014

Post by Lemming »

Everyone thinks it's going to be an exciting season then. That's good!

Interesting comparison of Jenson Button with Damon Hill. Sounds about right to me.

Agree that Kevin Magnussen could turn out to be special too.

Ferrari win in Australia - that IS out on a limb! I think Ferrari may have a problem, possibly with fuel consumption. Maybe they've had to make drastic efforts to reduce drag in order to cover a race distance and that's lost them some downforce. Just a guess. I have this inkling that, once Renault gets their engine working properly, it might prove to be better than the Ferrari. It would be a shame if that were to happen, though, because we'd miss out on a battle between Kimi and Alonso.

Based on testing I'd say it's Mercedes, Williams, Force India and McLaren, in that order. It could all change by Melbourne though. After that it's Malaysia. There might be even fewer finishers in the heat there.
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Re: F1 2014

Post by Lemming »

A few more thoughts.

Winter testing might be more representative this year because teams are starting almost from scratch so they can't afford to be sandbagging as much as usual. That suggests that the apparent superiority of Mercedes, Williams and Force India is real.

McLaren still has no title sponsor. Apparently Ron Dennis is holding out for a better price so they'll be desperate for some good results early on to sell themselves.

Doesn't Jenson Button look skinny? Makes him look like an old man or terminally ill! It seems that all but the midget drivers are having to starve themselves to keep car weight down.

Red Bull did some extra testing after the final group test using the "filming day" loophole. I wonder how much progress they made? I really hope they don't recover too much, it'd be so good to see some different teams at the front.

I wonder whether Mercedes would allow a customer team to beat them? They have been building up to this year for a couple of seasons and are absolutely determined to win the constructors, and preferably both, championships. If the likes of Williams or McLaren became a threat to that ambition I wonder what they'd do?

Could brake by wire become break by wire? Some teams seem to be having problems with this and when it locks up the back wheels it wrecks the tyres apparently. In extreme cases it throws the car off the track!

What do you think?
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Re: F1 2014

Post by KeyMonCha »

Lemming wrote:
Ferrari win in Australia - that IS out on a limb!
More of a twiglet in retrospect, but i am expecting a total clusterf*ck in the opening laps and at present there's a 33% chance of rain on the 16th, so given the obvious talents of Kimi, and the incredible abilities of Fernando, there's some reason to give Ferrari at least a hope in hell of winning.
Lemming wrote:Winter testing might be more representative this year because teams are starting almost from scratch so they can't afford to be sandbagging as much as usual. That suggests that the apparent superiority of Mercedes, Williams and Force India is real.
Excellent point you have there Mr Lemming... Maybe there's more to those initial results than you would expect from testing, however, no team really needs to do a full lap in order to complete a successful test... Braking, cornering, speed and down-force can be done in specific sectors and don't require the team to race a complete timed lap... The only things we can really see is that some of the engines might not make it to the end of a GP.... As for the Brake-by-Wire, i'm sure that's just a matter of set-up... Maybe a few issues for the first couple of races, but i don't think it's going to be a big deal.

Some of your other points;

Expect to see a Vimto sponsorship on the Mclaren, and Ron will big them up like he's just signed Coca-Cola.

Button has been looking ill for several years now... I think he's on some super heath trip... Possibly eating only nuts and berries, and hibernating in the winter months.

Red Bull have given me no reason to think they won't win the championship this year... The car looks fast as hell, and aside from the engine problems which i believe will be sorted early on in the year, only have minor problems to solve... We've seen this before.

...Fingers crossed it won't be more of the same, but i won't be convinced until the season is almost over.

Incidentally, what does everyone think of the new "Double-Points" for the last race bollocks?

As you can see, i'm not the biggest fan of it.... I'm still fuming about the new-ish points system, which along with the many races we have every season is just letting Vettel run away with some of the biggest records in F1(Mansell was robbed, guv!).
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Re: F1 2014

Post by Lemming »

Nice one KeyMonCha. Too many :lol: lols :lol: there to quote them all.

Agree about double points. Worse still one can imagine Red Bull sorting out there car and winning the championship at the end of the season thanks to double points. That would be ironic wouldn't it?
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