2015 FIA Formula One World Championship

I have a feeling we will be seeing those long noses go away very soon, once the new ones pass the crash tests

Ferrari and Renault have really caught up in the PU area, I doubt its enough though.

Spanish journo said this for 2015, I doubt its completely accurate but I assume it's close.
1. Mercedes: 849 hp
2. Honda: 829 hp
3. Ferrari: 805 hp
4. Renault: 801 hp

We might see 1000hp cars by 2016.
http://forums.autosport.com/topic/196670-theyre-considering-a-new-engine-formula-with-1000hp-for-2016-or-2017/

"Formula 1 drivers will be banned from changing helmet designs in-season under new rules set to be introduced this year, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

As part of a push to improve the promotional appeal of the sport, F1 chiefs have grown concerned that fans are turned off by drivers constantly changing their helmet colours."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117721

I mean....I'm not too bothered about this but is it really necessary? I actually quite liked seeing Vettel's different designs. And I think they have more pressing matters to worry about than the design of someone's helmet.

Every time the FIA change up the rules package in hopes of improving competition, all they accomplish is changing the dominant team at a cost of billions for everyone.

It used to be Ferrari, then Red Bull, now its Mercedes. No improved competition, just a different colored car dominating the field.

BTCC has it right... reward ballast is the ONLY thing that can save F1.

Dull race today. 15 starters, immediately reduced to 13 after the first lap, eventually falling to 11 that finished. No real battles throughout, Lewis had Nico at arms length, once Vettel cleared Massa he was always going to stay there. Solid driver by Nasr to get himself 5th but lets be honest, he just finished inside the top half of the pack.

I don't like this.

Me either.

Looked like a hotlapping session, except for those who had long pit stops and had to pass a couple slower cars.

And Alonzo looks like he made the worst career move possible by signing with Maclaren at the absolute worst time.

The Mclaren ain't that bad, it finished!

Raikkonen is back, easily the 3rd fastest driver out there.

The cars look a lot better then last years designs.
Race was a bit meh.
Real shame that Verstappen had to retire. It has been a long time since a Dutchmen scored points.
Shame the field got reduced to such small numbers before the race and the incident at turn 1.
Would have been nice for Button and Mclaren to have scored a point today. Don't really see them taking points with the current pace they have.

Best part of the race was Arnie at the end.

Red Bull threaten to leave the sport if 'engine equalisation' methods aren't put in place.

Cry babies

How quickly they forget the 4 years they dominated!!

Kilroy8 wrote:Red Bull threaten to leave the sport if 'engine equalisation' methods aren't put in place.

If it makes Horner feel any better, fans left the sport years ago.

Dominic Mako wrote:If it makes Horner feel any better, fans left the sport years ago.

+1 I've not watched a single second of F1 since Sky got the broadcast rights because the BBC are incapable of managing their budget.

would love to see red bull leave F1 and come to WEC or IndyCar as a major sponsor.

EZT MAKO 6669 wrote:How quickly they forget the 4 years they dominated!!

Except they didn't "dominate" for 4 years in a row, two of those seasons were really good and even in the other seasons where Red Bull ran the show there was still more than 3 race winners over the season. On top of that, their aero advantage was never protected by regulations and was always open for other teams to develop, it was actually taken away from them first in 2012 (revised exhausts to hamper EBD) and in 2014 with the removal of EBD all together. The likes of Honda and Renault are not losing out because of lack of money or talent, it is because of the stupid regulations preventing them from making it a competition which they can easily afford! Ferrari possibly would have been worse off if they didn't find the loophole in the regs and pushed it forward.

Sure, Merc did a great job and hats off to them, but this is just becoming a joke. These engine manufacturers are pretty much stuck at where they are at while Merc still has performance left in the bank. I feel sorry for McLaren-Honda right now especially, it feels like they are not even getting a fair crack at it.

But it is a British sport, and the powers at be love Hamilton dominating at any cost. I don't even think Hamilton himself is enjoying this [Censored] tbh, he loves to win but he loves the fight just as much.

The idea in F1 has always been who can design and build the fastest car within the regulations. To say that the regs favor one team over another is bull. The regulations for engines and chassis' are strictly regulated and are the same for everyone. Each team develops and builds their cars according to those specs. The big teams all have the money to finance this. Only the smaller teams like Marussia and Caterham are hampered by finances. Honda, Ferrari, Renault, have all had their moment in the sun. Right now, Mercedes is enjoying theirs.

That said, I do wish they could find a way to have more parity in the sport. I don't really mind seeing one or two drivers or a team be the class of the field, but I'd rather it be within more equal competition and due to driver skill, strategy, and car set up rather than just having a superior build.

I think what everyone is trying to say here is that we're all super excited for the most competitive open wheel series in the world...

INDYCAR!

March 29 in St Pete!

Great race and a fantastic win for Seb! So good to see the Ferrari back on the top step. It was a botched race by Mercedes with questionable strategy calls, but hopefully this victory will get Seb & Ferrari the confidence to really attack & take it to the Mercs

Indeed!! If not for that blowout the Iceman may very well have been in that mix at the front as well. I would also keep an eye on the William's team. They will get better every race.

Dominic Mako wrote:I think what everyone is trying to say here is that we're all super excited for the most competitive open wheel series in the world...

INDYCAR!

March 29 in St Pete!

That was ridiculous, I didn't think that the cars could get any uglier, but they sure did. And those new aero kits leave lots of shrapnel after contact, which leads to lots of yellows.

Malaysia on the other hand: brilliant.

Should really be in the Indycar thread but:

ON a 1.8 mile street track, the first time they've used that bodywork, which was always the plan since the shambolic display put on by Randy Bernard's ICONIC Comitte in order to find the new chassis-engine combo for 2012 onwards. With drivers that SHOULD know how to drive a single seater...

As for Malaysia: What should be expected from an F1 race, a kneejerk reaction to the bad things that happened at Melbourne, didn't answer critics, just nullified something thats going to raise its ugly head, and so the process begins again.

Think China will see Merc be ahead again but I hope Ferrari stick close to them all season.

The Shanghai circuit is much like Sepang, so Ferrari's will still have pace, but this time Merc will use a different pit strategy.

here's to hoping that one fails too

They won't make that mistake again. Vettel and Rosberg both love this track and do well there. Love him or hate him, Hamilton can drive, so he'll be there as well. Kimi looked to be far more comfortable in the car, so he might be right up there with everyone else. If there's no major incidents early on, we have the potential for a great 4 car battle at the front. That could also allow the William's drivers to slip into the mix as well. We can only hope............

The mechanics face