Less than 2 weeks to go ...

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Originally posted by SIGnified:
Less than 2 weeks to go ...

12 Days 11 Hours 8 Minutes to lights out!

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Originally posted by oilpatch29:
I don't think the FIA have allowed enough additional fuel to take full advantage of the increased grip over a full race distance.

I hate it when I'm right. Link

Jean Todt and the rest of these FIA globalist need to be shown the door.

Isn't this the reason for the artificially-low rev limits last year?

Fuel consumption has been an issue since the introduction of the V6. My point is they revamped the rules to make the cars faster. They may be faster, for a while, but eventually everyone has to fall into conservaton mode to finish the race. There is nothing more boring than econo-racing. With the possible exception of the 2016 Indy 500.

They got a bump to 105kg of fuel, +5kg over last year. According to Mercedes, most teams were able to make race distance with less than that.

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Originally posted by DanH:
They got a bump to 105kg of fuel, +5kg over last year. According to Mercedes, most teams were able to make race distance with less than that.

But the issue is that they're flow restricted, which also limits the power.
I say let them go, if you run out of fuel, that's your problem.

Anyone else see the revised Force India livery?

Exactly, let them run with the engines they came with.

Is that Force India livery for real? I actually think it could look cool on the track.

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Originally posted by P250UA5:
Anyone else see the revised Force India livery?

Perhaps, though I don't recall seeing this DTM car on track either. In any event it works since I now now that BWT is British Water Technologies!

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Originally posted by furlough:
Is that Force India livery for real? I actually think it could look cool on the track.

Yup, it is real.

It is a huge bump for Force India to snag a sponsor willing to buy in for enough to change the whole color scheme

Wow, this was an unexpected gem.

Sniff Petrol 2017 F1 Guide on Amazon.

Just a few bucks and a quick read but it is hilarious. A former Top Gear writer who now works for The Grand Tour. Good stuff.

Rumour is that McLaren is shopping their needs for a new engine to Mercedes. Termination with Honda would mean returning $100MM, and they would have to buy their engines.

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Originally posted by 280nosler:
Rumour is that McLaren is shopping their needs for a new engine to Mercedes. Termination with Honda would mean returning $100MM, and they would have to buy their engines.

McLaren has no choice, they have to become a customer of Mercedes. The Honda expirement has failed. If they don't move now they pretty much destroy the F1 program for the next few years. With Mercedes they can start to turn it around.

Bonus - supposedly the Mercedes and Honda engines are similar dimensions since Honda redid the engine for this year to move the turbo integral to block.

I see that they voted down the halo. But it looks like stuff is still being considered.
Link to article

I think F1 would be a much better format if they let them drive balls out to the performance limit of the car and give them one refueling stop - anywhere they want it in the race

otherwise its just boring fuel management and not really 'racing'

4 more days!

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Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I think F1 would be a much better format if they let them drive balls out to the performance limit of the car and give them one refueling stop - anywhere they want it in the race

otherwise its just boring fuel management and not really 'racing'

The problem with that is it seems no one in Formula 1 wants to do refueling. To be fair, while they were refueling, they always seemed to set someone or something on fire once a year. Mind you, I also don't know why must use a pressurized fuel rig while everyone else can use a gravity feed system and not set people on fire.

As far as McLaren goes, if they don't get Honda working as well as Renault, it's not going to matter if Honda pays them to run their engine if Honda runs off every other sponsor McLaren has. Something I just thought of is how reliable has the Honda battery pack been? Could it be feasible to have a Honda battery with a McLaren engine?

Sadly, I don't expect Honda to pull themselves out of their funk due to their current car lineup. There's nothing exceptional about their entire product lineup. I'm leasing an Acura because of my experience and love of my old Integra and the absolute fun I had driving a 1st Gen TSX. For a section of Honda that regularly claims they have access to the best Honda equipment, my ILX is a disappointment.

It is reliable, but that's about it. It has an engine and transmission that wants to have fun with a chassis that gives it a constant middle finger. The NSX performance or build quality doesn't measure up to the cars in it's price range (especially the McLaren 570GT or S for that matter). It's rumored it took so long to get to market because it took years to get the thing to perform better with the battery packs than without them. The Civic Type R lags behind other hot hatches in performance, and not even the Honda Accord is regularly winning comparison tests like it use to.

They also can't claim to be Ferrari that historically can't make a great road car AND a great Formula 1 car. I'd like to see Honda pull out of this tailspin, but I don't see it for at least another 5 years. And in Formula 1, 5 years might as well be 50.

F1. It has a bit of an identity crisis. It is supposed to highlight the pinnacle of automotive technology. Unfortunately, some of these things are what racing purists detest.

Pressurized intake. The future is turbocharging but the current v6 engines are boring. Naturally aspirated v-8, v-10, v-12 burbling, screaming, or roaring is what people like. 19,000 rpm v-10s sounded like banshees. Make the engine rules based on displacement:weight ratio. Somebody wants to run a v-8 let them. V-10, go for it.

Computer designed downforce. The wings look like they were designed by a van gogh computer program.

Simpler, straight wings with more tire and mechanical grip. Bring the chassis men back, get rid of the aerodynamicist, or at least reduce his role.

Paved runoffs. There is simply no more penalty for driving one in too deep. They just slide up and lose a few seconds. Bring back the gravel pits on all but the highest speed corners.
The tracks are benign and getting worse.

Bring back refueling. Every major series refuels. F1 could make it safer. Make it where you can't refuel and change tires on the same stop.

I read something disturbing recently -- didn't save a link -- and someone speaking for the F1 poobahs reinforced the series' commitment to the hybrid power units, green is a top priority. Along those lines, sound pollution is an equal consideration. They acted almost embarrassed by the screaming engines of the past, as if they were an affront to modern sensibilities. In SJW parlance, it's sounding like F1 is "woke".

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Originally posted by Ripley:
I read something disturbing recently -- didn't save a link -- and someone speaking for the F1 poobahs reinforced the series' commitment to the hybrid power units, green is a top priority. Along those lines, sound pollution is an equal consideration. They acted almost embarrassed by the screaming engines of the past, as if they were an affront to modern sensibilities. In SJW parlance, it's sounding like F1 is "woke".

Uggh