Re: 2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread

by Professor Voodoo Thu 10 Apr 2014 - 23:02

Awinnell wrote:the reason why Mercedes is the current front runner

Marisa: Gay-Lussac's Law states that the pressure exerted on the sides of a container by a gas of fixed volume is proportional to its temperature.

Triela: What's she talking about?

Elio: When you pressurize a gas it gets hotter...a particularly important thing to know when filling SCUBA tanks.

Kara: Soooo...how does that relate to Mercedes' F1 engine?

Elio: Proximity to the hot turbine is not the only reason you need to run turbocharged air through an intercooler. The act of compressing the air creates a good deal of that heat.

Marisa: Yeah...isn't that what I said?

Elio: I'm just surprised moving the two halves of the turbo apart made such a big difference...and that the added rotational mass of that long PTO shaft doesn't offset the power gain. It was a gamble, but it paid off.

Kiskaloo wrote:I think that the drive Lewis put in on the final stint after the Safety Car at Bahrain is proof enough he has the measure of Nico in a straight-up fight.

And Nico's points haul benefits greatly from Lewis DNFing in Melbourne.

This will be interesting as the season goes on. By all accounts Rosberg is the better tester, working many more hours with the team to improve the car. I think you can credit his time spent with Michael Schumacher for that. He learned under Schumi's tutelage to be a very 'hands-on' driver.

Hamilton by contrast idolizes Ayrton Senna, and drives the same way. He takes the car by the scruff of the neck and drives the piss out of it, whether it's behaving for him or not. So as the season goes on a lot will depend on development:
If the mid-season upgrades are good; advantage Rosberg, who played a bigger part in developing them, and understands them better.
If the mid-season upgrades are bad; advantage Hamilton, because it doesn't matter as much to him.

Historically that favors Lewis. Brawn/Mercedes is a team that typically starts a season strong and fades as its rivals improve. That's what happened in 2009 when they won the title with Button...and in 2012 when Mercedes had "double DRS".

by **boomer_gonz** Fri 11 Apr 2014 - 13:15

Tomorrow the Red Bull Air Race World Championships begins in Croatia for the second stop of the season.

Smoke On Air Hogs!!

by **boomer_gonz** Sun 13 Apr 2014 - 11:01

The event opened up with the Challenger Cup

Qualifying Results for Rovinj:

1. Hannes Arch – 00:57.72
2. Paul Bonhomme – 00:57.87
3. Pete McLeod – 00:58.15
4. Matthias Dolderer - 00:58.51
5. Nigel Lamb – 00:58.64
6. Yoshihide Muroya – 00:58.68
7. Kirby Chambliss – 00:59.82
8. Peter Besenyei – 01:00.21
9. Matt Hall – 01:00.56
10. Nicolas Ivanoff – 01:00.63
11. Michael Goulian – 01:01.40
12. Martin Sonka – DNF

Paul Bonhomme placed in the top three again which is becoming old hat for the veteran pilot, with Nigel Lamb placing in a surprising fifth. Pete McLeod is still an ace to be reckoned with as he placed third in qualifying just behind Bonhomme, but the real surprise is Hannes Arch who keeps it coming from his surprise performance in Abu Dhabi and takes the pole.

Americans Kirby Chambliss and Michael Goulian took seventh and eleventh respectively, but it seems that they are clearly outmatched in this years event.

In the Challanger Cup competition; Francois Le Vot notches another win in what may become a dynasty run for the Frenchman with Great Britain's Tom Bennett, and Slovenian newcomer Peter Podlunsek coming in third.

by **boomer_gonz** Sun 13 Apr 2014 - 13:25

Posting the final results with a full report to come after I catch a full rip of the event. Apparently trying to watch a Motorsports event at 2 am. after working a 14 hr. shift isn't in the cards for me. Razz

Official results from the 2014 Red Bull Air Race World Championship Round 2 in Rovinj, Croatia.
1. ARCH Hannes (AUT)
2. BONHOMME Paul (GBR)
3. MUROYA Yoshihide (JPN)
4. MCLEOD Pete (CAN)
5. IVANOFF Nicolas (FRA)
6. SONKA Martin (CZE)
7. HALL Matt (AUS)
8. LAMB Nigel (GBR)
9. BESENYEI Peter (HUN)
10. CHAMBLISS Kirby (USA)
11. DOLDERER Matthias (GER)
12. GOULIAN Mike (USA)

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 14 Apr 2014 - 10:08

Stefano Domenicali has resigned as Team Principal for Scuderia Ferrari after seven years in the position. He will be replaced by the President of Ferrari America, Marco Mattiachi.

Speculation is he has been sacked since the team hasn't won a championship under his tenure and the car this year looks to be a lemon.

by Alfisti Sun 20 Apr 2014 - 6:22

China 2014...

Spoiler:

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 20 Apr 2014 - 9:20

Spoiler:

by Professor Voodoo Sun 20 Apr 2014 - 10:59

Chinese GP...

Spoiler:

WEC Silverstone

Spoiler:

by topgearbrzgt86 Sun 20 Apr 2014 - 12:00

Professor Voodoo wrote:Chinese GP...
Triela: (handing €10 over to Jamiebel) I think I should have saved some of that money I've won over the past 4 years. This sucks...I'm going broke!

Allison: (grumbling) You get used to it with time.

Marisa: I don't belive this merda! Both Williams have contact in the first corner...Massa has the pit stop from hell...and they STILL beat my Toro Rosso boys? I'm never gonna get to pick the Monday lunch spot again!

Kara: Look on the bright side; Kvyat scored a point again...AND FERNANDO GOT ON THE PODIUM! LOOKOUT YOU SILVER BITCHES, WE'RE COMIN' FOR YOU!

Elio: Do you need the tranquilizer dart gun?

Michele: I might...keep it handy, okay?

Jamiebel: Easy, there, Kara. It's just one podium. Get a few wins, and a couple podiums, then I'll be worried. Razz

Frédéric: (to Elio and Michele) At the rate Ferrari's progressing, sooner might be better than later. Also double points for Force India - another day at the office.

Jim: (grumbles) If Romain hadn't had that gearbox trouble, he would have gotten the last point, but at least he, the team and the car are moving well and forward....bloody Mercedes engines...

by **Kiskaloo** Wed 30 Apr 2014 - 10:47

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of "Black Sunday", the 14° Gran Premio di San Marino held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, where Ayrton Senna da Silva was killed. And 20 years ago today, Roland Ratzenberger was killed during qualifying for the event. The weekend was the darkest for Formula One since the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix.

RIP gentlemen. Auto racing and personal driving are safer for your sacrifices that weekend.

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 2 May 2014 - 21:57

Gene Haas announced that they will defer until 2016 to field his team in Formula One to give them more time to get ready in North Carolina and Italy.

Force India also announced the liquor brand Smirnoff as their new major sponsor. Smirnoff is part of the Diageo Group, who also owns a controlling 25% of United Spirits, which itself is owned by Force India owner Vijay Mallya.

I bet Kimi is regretting signing for Ferrari even more. Incoming!

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 3 May 2014 - 19:43

Nigel Stepney, the former Ferrari engineer who leaked confidential information on the Scuderia to Mike Coughlan at McLaren in 2007 which resulted in McLaren being excluded from the 2007 Constructor's Championship and a $100 million fine was killed today after being struck by a lorry on the M20 near Ashford, Kent, UK.

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 5 May 2014 - 19:14

Professor Voodoo wrote:WEC Silverstone
Spoiler:

Finally found all six hours of it online. What a great race.

by Professor Voodoo Wed 7 May 2014 - 2:29

Kiskaloo wrote:Nigel Stepney... was killed today after being struck by a lorry on the M20 near Ashford, Kent, UK.

I'd seen those other stories you mentioned, but I missed that one. Now that I've read the report the circumstances seem very strange.

by Awinnell Wed 7 May 2014 - 8:33

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Kiskaloo wrote:Nigel Stepney... was killed today after being struck by a lorry on the M20 near Ashford, Kent, UK.
I'd seen those other stories you mentioned, but I missed that one. Now that I've read the report the circumstances seem very strange.

perhaps something fell off the van and he went back to pick it up, though how he missed seeing an artic heading towards him is a mystery

by **ElfenMagix** Thu 8 May 2014 - 19:55

It's May... Do you know where Indy is at?

I'm hoping for Helio to win this year, to make #4 of the 4X Indy winners...

by Professor Voodoo Fri 9 May 2014 - 3:36

ElfenMagix wrote:It's May... Do you know where Indy is at?

I'm hoping for Helio to win this year, to make #4 of the 4X Indy winners...

This is going to be doubly interesting this year, with a race on the Indy Road Course (May 10th) to kick off proceedings.

Unfortunately I'm going to miss that one, but maybe I'll be ashore in time to see the 500.

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 10 May 2014 - 8:57

Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix was a mix of surprises and not-so-surprises. Mercedes remains untouchable, with Red Bull still "best of the rest". Grosjean was a surprise for Lotus, while all Ferrari has to look forward to is that at least they don't suck as bad as McLaren.

Evidently Gene Haas is heading to Lotus for a visit, which is interesting since his new team has been linked to Ferrari for engines and transmissions. That deal was with Stefano Domenicali, however, so perhaps the new management team has different ideas or the plans for "customer teams" is not going to happen.

Buying Lotus would make things easier, to be sure. And Lotus is evidently still in dire financial crisis as both they and Caterham have not paid Renault Sport for their Power Units this year and Renault Sport may yank their engine deals if they don't bring their accounts up to date.

by Professor Voodoo Sat 10 May 2014 - 20:23

ElfenMagix wrote:I'm hoping for Helio to win this year, to make #4 of the 4X Indy winners...

I didn't get to see it, but the report on Crash.net makes it sound like a good race to open the month at Indy...

Spoiler:

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 10 May 2014 - 20:34

I'll catch that one when I get home. Watching the 6 Hours of Spa WEC race.

by Professor Voodoo Sat 10 May 2014 - 21:37

Kiskaloo wrote:I'll catch that one when I get home. Watching the 6 Hours of Spa WEC race.

I hope I didn't spoil the result for you.

And congratulations on your 10,000th post!

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 11 May 2014 - 11:46

Professor Voodoo wrote:I didn't get to see it, but the report on Crash.net makes it sound like a good race to open the month at Indy…

I do have to say the marshaling was atrocious, especially at the start. If this was an FIA-sanctioned event, there would have been a blizzard of yellow flags and the contact probably would have been avoided.

Professor Voodoo wrote:And congratulations on your 10,000th post!

Thanks!

Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Pirelli 2014

Spoiler:

by topgearbrzgt86 Mon 12 May 2014 - 11:42

Jamiebel: Well, another victory for Mercedes is good, but this is starting to get boring...hopefully domination will end at Monaco. Jim, how are you doing?

Jim: (currently doing the happy dance) Business as usual, Jay-bee. $dancin\\'$ ROTFL

by **Kiskaloo** Wed 14 May 2014 - 12:45

In response to complaints about the lack of volume of the exhaust of the new Power Units, Mercedes tried something at the Barcelona test:

2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread - Page 3 Untitled22

2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread - Page 3 Untitled22

Image from Auto Motor und Sport via thejudge13.com

Kara and Michele:

by topgearbrzgt86 Wed 14 May 2014 - 21:50

Kiskaloo wrote:In response to complaints about the lack of volume of the exhaust of the new Power Units, Mercedes tried something at the Barcelona test:

Image from Auto Motor und Sport via thejudge13.com

Kara and Michele:

Jamiebel: Can I join you guys? I feel so ridiculous now. Aiya!

by Alfisti Mon 19 May 2014 - 3:19

Sad day for Australian motorsport with the passing of Sir Jack Brabham, who remains the only man to have driven a car bearing his own name to a Formula 1 world championship win.

2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread - Page 3 Jack01-1

2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread - Page 3 Jack01-1

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 19 May 2014 - 9:03

Saw that this morning while watching the highlights of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps WEC race.

And speaking of said race, have to say Toyota has to be favored to win Le Mans in a few weeks based on the speed they showed at Spa - they're going to be lightning down the Mulsanne Strait. Honestly, Audi was lucky to keep 2nd place thanks to favorable traffic preventing the Toyota from mounting a charge.

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 19 May 2014 - 15:11

by Professor Voodoo Mon 19 May 2014 - 16:58

Alfisti wrote:Sad day for Australian motorsport with the passing of Sir Jack Brabham,

One of the great under-rated geniuses of the sport...his name doesn't get mentioned among the likes of Clark, Senna & Stewart nearly enough.

What I'm most impressed by was that the length of his competitive career. In an era when many drivers didn't survive 15 seasons he raced with success for that long...even scoring a win in his final season at nearly 44 years old. He really deserves more recognition, but for now I'm happy to raise a glass to a life well lived.

by **Kiskaloo** Tue 20 May 2014 - 9:44

Venezuela's new Minister of Sport, Antonio Alvarez, has stated that PDVSA will be ceasing their sponsorship of Pastor Maldonado at the end of this season. Since that money is the only reason Crashtor has a ride, Formula One grids should be safer starting in 2015.
2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread - Page 3 1935963106

2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread - Page 3 1935963106

Not good news for Lotus, of course, who will need to find another source of income. And considering the size of the check the Venezuelan brought, they might have to toss Romain Grosjean, as well, to secure another pay driver to make up the difference.

The City of Long Beach also decided to extend the current contract with IndyCar through 2018 rather than host a return of the US Formula One Grand Prix West. One imagines staying with IndyCar was a safer bet than having to invest significantly to improve the street circuit to "F1 Standards" and FOM is sure to be asking for significantly higher fees than IndyCar.

by Professor Voodoo Fri 23 May 2014 - 9:17

This had been rumored, but now it's official;

Crash.net wrote:To be named Nissan GT-R LM NISMO in a nod to both its road car range and its performance line, Nissan will enter a pair of LMP1 machines from 2015 for a full season of World Endurance Championship racing, as well as contest the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours.

Link to the article

by topgearbrzgt86 Fri 23 May 2014 - 9:25

Woo-hoo! Good to see Nissan return to Le Mans after the R390 GT1. Now all we need is for Peugeot and Ferrari to come back, and we're set!

by **Kiskaloo** Fri 23 May 2014 - 9:50

Glad to see the WEC adding manufacturers at the top end. A return to the glory days of Group C would be most welcome.

Ferrari have been testing an LMP1 prototype and Renault has also been said to be considering putting forward an LMP1 (which would preclude Peugeot returning, I imagine).

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 25 May 2014 - 11:00

Grand Prix de Monaco 2014

Spoiler:

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 25 May 2014 - 14:22

98th Indianapolis 500

Spoiler:

by topgearbrzgt86 Sun 25 May 2014 - 14:37

Spoiler:

by topgearbrzgt86 Sun 25 May 2014 - 22:03

2014 Coca-Cola 600 and wrap-up

Spoiler:

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 1 Jun 2014 - 10:47

1

The film tells the story of the golden age of Formula 1, when the sport became terrifyingly dangerous and the drivers were like rock stars with charisma and raw talent, but with many of them paying the ultimate price. 1 follows the story of the drivers who raced on the edge and those who stood up to change the sport forever. It is about the greatest show on earth -- Formula 1™.

Just finished watching this documentary, which NBCSN showed in the lead-up to the Monaco Grand Prix. Absolutely fascinating and exceptionally well done with significant archival footage.

UPDATE - It is being repeated on Sunday, June 8th on NBCSN at 6:30PM Pacific (so I assume 9:30PM Eastern)

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 8 Jun 2014 - 14:54

Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2014

Spoiler:

by Alfisti Sun 8 Jun 2014 - 18:55

Well, I missed my alarm this morning, but Ten has the race up on the web so just caught up now.

Spoiler:

by Professor Voodoo Mon 9 Jun 2014 - 23:05

Kiskaloo wrote:Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2014

Well...that was predictable up to the moment Mercedes started to show weakness, and those last 10 laps were wild.

Marisa: So with Massa crashing out...(fingers crossed) where did Vergne finish? He's in the points!

Kara: But Bottas still beat him.

Marisa: Awww COME ON! I just can't catch a break this season.

Triela: Well, it wasn't the driver we all expected but Red Bull is finally back on top. Whew...it's been a while.

Jambiel: It's only been 6 races!

Allison: (disgruntled) Some of us have been waiting a lot longer.

______________________________________________________________________

While this Red Bull victory will certainly boost the morale of the grid I doubt it signals a major threat to Mercedes' dominance. The failures were all related to the regenerative braking system, and Montreal is the hardest circuit on brakes. Unless there's a major shake-up the status quo should be restored in Austria.

You have to feel for Hamilton. He did all the hard work of catching his team mate then falls 22 points behind again.

by topgearbrzgt86 Mon 9 Jun 2014 - 23:19

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Kiskaloo wrote:Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2014
Well...that was predictable up to the moment Mercedes started to show weakness, and those last 10 laps were wild.

Marisa: So with Massa crashing out...(fingers crossed) where did Vergne finish? He's in the points!

Kara: But Bottas still beat him.

Marisa: Awww COME ON! I just can't catch a break this season.

Triela: Well, it wasn't the driver we all expected but Red Bull is finally back on top. Whew...it's been a while.

Jamiebel: It's only been 6 races!

Allison: (disgruntled) Some of us have been waiting a lot longer.

Jim: (to Triela) Well, you guys did win, but you're still nowhere near close to Mercedes. I have to feel happy for Daniel, though! Yea, Mr. Smiley!

(to Allison) You and me both, Allie. You and me both.

(to Triela again, and to Jamiebel) For the next round only, I'll switch to Mercedes. Something tells me those Red Bull buggers messed with a piece of history* at the Red Bull Ring...

* http://thisisf1.com/2014/05/16/niki-lauda-angry-as-his-name-removed-from-red-bull-ring-curve-at-austrian-gp/ for more info on what Jim was talking about.

Jamiebel: Watch out, Princess. You better pray that Mercedes doesn't finish one-two at Red Bull's home GP... (giggles deviously)

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 14 Jun 2014 - 9:48

Looks like that 20% chance of rain at Le Mans is now 120%...

As Ren Höek would say... "Oh, boy! Mayhem!"

Spoiler:

UPDATE - Now another massive deluge washing the track and sending cars into the armco...

Looks like weather is going to be a factor in this 24...

by PSVT Sat 14 Jun 2014 - 17:07

After a very active first few hours helped by the massive downpours, the race seems to be much calmer now.

Spoiler:

by Professor Voodoo Sat 14 Jun 2014 - 20:07

Halfway point;

Spoiler:

24 hour coverage is streaming on http://www.24h-lemans.com/live/en/. The commentary isn't very good, but it's better than nothing.

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 14 Jun 2014 - 20:21

Thanks for the link, PV. Fox Sports 2 is carrying coverage now and we don't get that channel.

by PSVT Sat 14 Jun 2014 - 20:24

If you want, you can also listen to Radio Le Mans, which is associated with a stream carried by Audi. That's what I'm listening to, and I find they're generally better than the 24h-Lemans coverage.

Direct Link: http://player.gl-systemhaus.de/AUDI/2014/LeMans/

by PSVT Sat 14 Jun 2014 - 22:17

With less than 10 hours to go:

Spoiler:

by PSVT Sun 15 Jun 2014 - 8:14

With the finale of the 24 Hours of Le Mans:

Spoiler:

by Professor Voodoo Sun 15 Jun 2014 - 22:14

PSVT wrote:With the finale of the 24 Hours of Le Mans:

3 major factory efforts this year and all three lead the race at one point or another. That a gasoline powered, normally aspirated 3.7L V-8, a 4.0L turbo diesel V-6 and a 2.0L gasoline turbo V-4 are all on such equal footing says great things about the current rules package for the WEC. Formula One could learn something from this.

Nissan plans to enter the series in 2015...and there's rumors of Ferrari joining the WEC too. Are we headed for a new golden age of sports car racing?

by Professor Voodoo Mon 16 Jun 2014 - 6:08

Some good news;

Michael Schumacher out of coma; leaves hospital.

by **Kiskaloo** Mon 16 Jun 2014 - 8:56

Yeah, I still think Toyota is going to win the WEC as they seem to have the best package for the "sprint" races. Thinking very hard about attending the 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas this year (and next).

And great news about Michael.

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 21 Jun 2014 - 9:02

Formula 1 Grosser Preis Von Österreich 2014

Spoiler:

Have to say the Red Bull Ring looks like an amazing track from an attendee’s perspective. I normally only do a European F1 trip when Spa and Monza are back to back (as I can use the week in-between to visit France and Italy), but I I could very much see a trip to next year’s Austrian Grand Prix. The hillside general admission area looks like it has a view of the full track and I would think ticket prices would not be too bad. And it’s probably a great place to…caravan. (Kara: Guh?

)

And it looks like NBCSN will be broadcasting both the GP2 Feature and the GP2 Sprint Race! cheers

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 21 Jun 2014 - 17:03

Catching up on highlights of WRC Round 6 - Rally Italia Sardegna - and looks like Day 2 was...interesting...

Spoiler:

by Professor Voodoo Sat 21 Jun 2014 - 17:49

Kiskaloo wrote:Formula 1 Grosser Preis Von Österreich 2014

All the new tracks added to the schedule have been constructed under the oversight of the Herman Tilke Group...and Tilke is very fond of highly abrasive aggregate mixes in the surface. This provides high grip and high tire wear.
The newly re-built Austrian circuit bucks this trend, with a slippery asphalt mix, and I think that's a good thing. For years F1 has been trying to slow the cornering speeds by taking downforce off the cars...while Tilke has been adding mechanical grip with his choice of asphalt. I hope other track owners take notice of how things go this weekend, and consider their own surfaces when it's time to re-pave.

2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread - Page 3 PA1540180.0036

2014 World Motorsports Discussion Thread - Page 3 PA1540180.0036

This year has to be tremendously vindicating for Felipe Massa. Although his points tally isn't what it should be he's demonstrating that he's never lost his speed. I've said it before; this year reminds me of the 1998 season when Damon Hill drove for Jordan. Another driver who never got the respect he deserved, recently sacked by a top team (Williams, ironically) he gave this legacy a tremendous boost by leading a Jordan 1-2 finish in Belgium. Hopefully a good 2014 for Massa (maybe even a win?) can similarly change the way we look back on his career once he finally hangs up the helmet.

Hamilton's Q3 spin seemed like a rear brake problem to me. Could this indicate that Mercedes' issues with their regenerative braking system were not just a Montreal fluke? That could certainly provide a glimmer of hope to the other teams. In spite of Williams' front row lock-out I don't think anyone doubts Mercedes is still the fastest package out there...even if cracks are appearing in their armor.

by **Kiskaloo** Sun 22 Jun 2014 - 9:13

Formula 1 Grosser Preis Von Österreich 2014 [Final Results]

Spoiler:

by topgearbrzgt86 Sun 22 Jun 2014 - 14:09

Kiskaloo wrote:Formula 1 Grosser Preis Von Österreich 2014 [Final Results]

Spoiler:

Jim: Ahh, it's nice to win once again, and to be right about Red Bull. (kisses Jamiebel, collects his half of the money for betting for Mercedes once) Especially if your lover roots for Mercedes. Now, if you'll excuse me, Frédéric, Jamiebel and I have some chanting to do. Something about 'jogging on, Red Bull.' Razz

$dancin\\'$

by **Kiskaloo** Sat 28 Jun 2014 - 11:59

With the F1 Strategy Group and the FIA deciding against any meaningful cost controls for Formula One, Tony Fernandez appears to have called it a day. Rumors are that he has sold the Caterham F1 team to a Russian concern, though Dutch and Arabic suitors are also being spoken of.

The World Motorsport Council also approved that all Safety Car restarts will be standing starts (unless the Safety Car is deployed within two laps of the start of the race or five laps of the end of the race).

With McLaren moving to Honda power next year, Lotus is expected to switch to Mercedes engines in 2015. This leaves Red Bull, Torro Rosso and Caterham running Renault power and rumors are forming that Red Bull will buy out Renault F1 and launch their own engine (which would allow them to develop a new Power Unit for use starting in 2016).

by topgearbrzgt86 Sat 28 Jun 2014 - 12:39

Kiskaloo wrote:With the F1 Strategy Group and the FIA deciding against any meaningful cost controls for Formula One, Tony Fernandez appears to have called it a day. Rumors are that he has sold the Caterham F1 team to a Russian concern, though Dutch and Arabic suitors are also being spoken of.

The World Motorsport Council also approved that all Safety Car restarts will be standing starts (unless the Safety Car is deployed within two laps of the start of the race or five laps of the end of the race).

With McLaren moving to Honda power next year, Lotus is expected to switch to Mercedes engines in 2015. This leaves Red Bull, Torro Rosso and Caterham running Renault power and rumors are forming that Red Bull will buy out Renault F1 and launch their own engine (which would allow them to develop a new Power Unit for use starting in 2016).

Shame about Tony leaving Caterham; Marussia scoring 2 points in Monaco totally ruined Caterham's chances of winning any money.

I kinda like the idea of a standing restart. The cars' clutches aren't as delicate as they once were, so it could come down to how well you start than how well you finish. How would they make it safe?

The prospect of McLaren doing well with Honda is a bit of a grey area there. They are doing pretty decently with Mercedes; and with Lotus making the switch potentially to Mercedes, could we see Lotus make a Williams-like comeback in 2015?

I personally don't see Red Bull owning Renault F1, but I do see them make their own engine with Nissan/Infiniti (they're in an engineering part of Austria), if the 2015 year goes as badly as 2014.

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