2016 F1 Season Thread

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Rob702Martinez

Rob702Martinez

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Place to post and discuss Races/Topics/Rulings/Teams/Drivers etc. about the upcoming 2016 F1 Season.

Who is excited to see the progress from the 2015 season? Red Bull now has Tag Huer branded Renault ICE, Manor is AMG powered, HASS is Ferrari powered, McLaren Honda has made strides. Will Mercedes keep their momentum? Has Ferrari found the pace?
 
Closed loop or oval track racing... Not a fan. Cars going around a track for dozens, if not hundreds, of laps. Sorry, but I find that boring. The "real racing" doesn't happen until the last 2 laps. Two hours of lap after lap after lap, and the last 2 laps are the real competition. I can't get behind it. I've tried.

Now drag racing... For me, THAT is racing. Zero to 300+ MPH in well under 5 seconds. Go! It tests the car, it tests the mechanic, it tests the driver, and it's exciting.

But that's just me. So, OK, let the flames begin.
 
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But you are a big fan of rockets, right? Zero to gone in nuthin' flat?

Yeah. OK. :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
F1, Indy Cars, NASCAR. If it goes fast I'm interested. I've own and raced oval cars so these things interest me :)
 
Rob702Martinez said:
Place to post and discuss Races/Topics/Rulings/Teams/Drivers etc. about the upcoming 2016 F1 Season.

Who is excited to see the progress from the 2015 season? Red Bull now has Tag Huer branded Renault ICE, Manor is AMG powered, HASS is Ferrari powered, McLaren Honda has made strides. Will Mercedes keep their momentum? Has Ferrari found the pace?
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Although I'm a fan, unfortunately not enough consistent coverage in the US for me to keep up with a season (at least within my sporadic viewing hours of 7-10pm).
 
One of the few reasons we keep DirecTV DVR is for F-!. It will be interesting to see how the new American HASS F-! team does with the Ferrari powerplant their first year. I love to see small new teams do good. Remember when Red Bull was a small new team?
 
I think Mercedes is going to keep the momentum going. We will have to see how soon the new teams get up to speed.
 
Mercedes is going to have a much harder time this year. They mighty win the championship this year but win less races.
 
cherokeej said:
Closed loop or oval track racing... Not a fan. Cars going around a track for dozens, if not hundreds, of laps. Sorry, but I find that boring. The "real racing" doesn't happen until the last 2 laps. Two hours of lap after lap after lap, and the last 2 laps are the real competition. I can't get behind it. I've tried.
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Soooo you're posting in this thread ... because?
 
YodaMcFly said:
Definitely looking forward to this season ... And hoping that Haas can at least make a decent showing.
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I'm thrilled that an American team has reentered F1, but deeply concerned that the US Grand Prix may not happen. If the F1 overlords don't figure out a way to make the race happening Austin this fall, they're dead to me forever.

James
 
James Duffy said:
I'm thrilled that an American team has reentered F1, but deeply concerned that the US Grand Prix may not happen. If the F1 overlords don't figure out a way to make the race happening Austin this fall, they're dead to me forever.

James
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Well, the discussion of "is Bernie the Saviour or Antichrist" is a whole different thread. :wink:
 
Mercedes is looking fantastic in testing. Faster/longer than the rest and on harder tires. Glad to see Hass doing fairly well right out of the box. I've always been a McLaren fan so I hope they can improve over last year. Doing complete race distances in testing is a good sign.
 
Renault has completed the takeover of Lotus, so they will be running Renaults. RB is running a "TAG-Heuer" branded Renault, but my understanding is that it's going to be the same lump that the factory team has.

Tire rules have changed massively. I'm still not quite sure I understand it, but the gist is that Pizoozi nominates two compounds for the meeting, one set of each of which must be used at some point, but the rest of the tyre selection for the weekend is up to the teams. Also, the super-mega-ultra-gumball-soft is on offer ... Not sure how many places it will be useful, besides Monaco, though.

And they have to tell Pirelli their choices something like six weeks before the race (to allow for production lead times).

Edit: Clarified tire statement.
 
Singapore, Hungary ... There are actually a couple of places where it might be interesting.

Tangentially, I'm also excitedly watching Ford's program with the GT in IMSA and WEC ... And I hope the DeltaWing continues to do well in IMSA...
 
It's going to be an interesting season for sure. I hope that the american team will be able to perform reasonably well and not be a back marker.

I'm a big fan of F1 for longer than I can remember.
 
mkadams001 said:
It's going to be an interesting season for sure. I hope that the american team will be able to perform reasonably well and not be a back marker.

I'm a big fan of F1 for longer than I can remember.
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Hate to say it but Haas will be a back marker for sure this year and that's okay. Now if they remain a back marker for a long time then that's a problem. Gene Haas is a smart cookie so I think after this year they will start to flourish.
 
Rob702Martinez said:
Place to post and discuss Races/Topics/Rulings/Teams/Drivers etc. about the upcoming 2016 F1 Season.

Who is excited to see the progress from the 2015 season? Red Bull now has Tag Huer branded Renault ICE, Manor is AMG powered, HASS is Ferrari powered, McLaren Honda has made strides. Will Mercedes keep their momentum? Has Ferrari found the pace?
Click to expand...

I'm excited about the new season. Happy to debate anytime.
Particularly the lack of interest from the US. Why is it?
Also, why has Indy disintegrated as an international spectacle (also NASCAR).

F1 hasn't done it's self any favours over the past few years but neither has motor racing in general, especially in the US.

When are we going to see a real US driver challenge in F1 again? Another Andretti (Mario that is).
Come to think of it, when are we going to see a real World Champion, European driver with the interest to do back to back European and US championships again (Nigel Mansell that is).

I'm being deliberately provocative and happy to debate UK vs. US racing.

Bring back the spirit of Dan Gurney and his Eagle Weslake.

SO.

PS. Also, just booked our tickets for he Silverstone 6 hour endurance event in April. Shame the US doesn't take an interest in the series anymore. Remember Sebring?
 
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Space Oddity said:
I'm excited about the new season. Happy to debate anytime.
Particularly the lack of interest from the US. Why is it?
Also, why has Indy disintegrated as an international spectacle (also NASCAR).
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Championship Car racing in the US shot itself in the abdomen when Tony George formed the IRL; years of two series battling over a relatively-limited pool of realistic sponsors for almost 12 years had the inevitable result of viewers and sponsors heading over to NASCAR. The current iteration of IndyCar is starting to show some signs of life, but it may never regain its strength.

NASCAR is suffering from a perception of "rigged" racing (spontaneous full-course cautions for "debris on track" or "course conditions" at just the right time to bunch the field back up ...) and a continued distance from "stock" cars. I think most people don't love ovals to the exclusion of all else, and NASCAR's moves away from its traditional fanbase (and image) are disillusioning its long-time fans, while it fails to re-tool itself to attract and keep the new fans that it desperately needs.

When are we going to see a real US driver challenge in F1 again? Another Andretti (Mario that is).
Come to think of it, when are we going to see a real World Champion, European driver with the interest to do back to back European and US championships again (Nigel Mansell that is).
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As for an American, the new Superlicence rules will almost certainly kill that for the foreseeable future; the only American that currently even qualifies for one is Rossi. Add to that the fact that you pretty much *must* have heavy sponsorship to even get your foot in the door, and the fact that most Americans can't come up with enough money to compete with some other nationally-backed drivers ... Yeah, it's not going to happen for a while.

As for a European driver trying to come this way, today's climate of "protect the investment in the driver at all costs" will continue to make it unlikely (see one M. Schumacher. No one wants their expensive Superlicence holder to splatter himself in something so vulgar as a North American race).

Although, the influx of "International Drivers" in Aussie V8 Supercars for the enduros is encouraging. As was Hülkenberg's run at Le Mans last year. I'm very disappointed that he's not going to be able to defend.

Bring back the spirit of Dan Gurney and his Eagle Weslake.
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Yes! Please!

PS. Also, just booked our tickets for he Silverstone 6 hour endurance event in April. Shame the US doesn't take an interest in the series anymore. Remember Sebring?
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The 12 Hours of Sebring is still run every year (coming up in about two weeks). American Sportscar racing did something similar to IndyCar/Champ Car to itself with the formation of the ALMS competing with the various NASCAR-backed sportscar series, but now that they're unified, again, things seem to be looking up ... Especially after 2017 when those abominations known as Daytona Prototypes finally go away and IMSA comes fully inline with P2 ... We have several long-distance races here, although nothing as spiffy as the WEC.
 
Space Oddity said:
I'm excited about the new season. Happy to debate anytime.
Particularly the lack of interest from the US. Why is it?
Also, why has Indy disintegrated as an international spectacle (also NASCAR).

F1 hasn't done it's self any favours over the past few years but neither has motor racing in general, especially in the US.
Click to expand...

Wow what a provocative post, enough probably to start another thread.

My opinion follows (background I am a longtime fan of all motor racing starting with Indy in my formative years and expanded to F1 and endurance with occasional interest in NASCAR).

Why has general US interest in Indy, NASCAR and F1 declining? Simple, because the racing is BORING (to the average American). Yes there is a lot of interesting things going on in the backstories but only the diehards follow that. The actual races themselves make for awful television and that is what counts in the US.

Technology equalizing all the cars, homogenization and boring drivers is not a good formula. Back in the golden age of Indy almost every team had a different chassis, PARNELLI , Eagle, McLaren, Coyote , Wildcat , PENSKE , LOLA, Reynard, MARCH ,CHAPPARAL. We had F1 teams with Lotus and McLaren and Brabham, multiple chassis, Offys. 4 Cam , Foyts, Turbo Chevies, Stock Block Chevies, Turbo Cosworths, and even 4 Cam V8 Drakes, all racing against each other at the same time. Man those were the days. Now you have spec cars and the powers that be decided that the focus should be on the drivers not the cars. Problem is the drivers are boring.

NASCAR is suffering the same fate. Spec cars and they are all equally as fast with speeds and passing limited by aero push. The only racing occurs in the last lap. Life is too short to watch a racing like that.

Rant off and I am probably way off base but that is why that is called an 'opinion'.

--jd
 
I tend to agree with that.


DAllen said:
Hate to say it but Haas will be a back marker for sure this year and that's okay. Now if they remain a back marker for a long time then that's a problem. Gene Haas is a smart cookie so I think after this year they will start to flourish.
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I think that F1 has put a lot of effort into making the racing exciting for television. NASCAR seems to have become demolition derby and I have no idea what has become of Indy cars. I pretty much stopped watching champ cars after IRL began. Something changed it just was not the same. When I do see a bit on tv I can barely stand to watch.




jderimig said:
Wow what a provocative post, enough probably to start another thread.

My opinion follows (background I am a longtime fan of all motor racing starting with Indy in my formative years and expanded to F1 and endurance with occasional interest in NASCAR).

Why has general US interest in Indy, NASCAR and F1 declining? Simple, because the racing is BORING (to the average American). Yes there is a lot of interesting things going on in the backstories but only the diehards follow that. The actual races themselves make for awful television and that is what counts in the US.

Technology equalizing all the cars, homogenization and boring drivers is not a good formula. Back in the golden age of Indy almost every team had a different chassis, PARNELLI , Eagle, McLaren, Coyote , Wildcat , PENSKE , LOLA, Reynard, MARCH ,CHAPPARAL. We had F1 teams with Lotus and McLaren and Brabham, multiple chassis, Offys. 4 Cam , Foyts, Turbo Chevies, Stock Block Chevies, Turbo Cosworths, and even 4 Cam V8 Drakes, all racing against each other at the same time. Man those were the days. Now you have spec cars and the powers that be decided that the focus should be on the drivers not the cars. Problem is the drivers are boring.

NASCAR is suffering the same fate. Spec cars and they are all equally as fast with speeds and passing limited by aero push. The only racing occurs in the last lap. Life is too short to watch a racing like that.

Rant off and I am probably way off base but that is why that is called an 'opinion'.

--jd
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