Yes, especially now that Niki has gone. Deep down I guess every F1 driver wants to drive for Ferrari at some point in their career.
F1 2019
- Thread starter Stratman
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As for the bias towards Mercedes, I'm actually just a fan of F1 and mainly from the technical/Engineering viewpoint.
The racing itself has rarely been as close as some think, but the cars have always been the pinnacle of what is possible. Just look at the lap times at Barcelona:
MotoGP : 1:39, F1 : 1:18. Yep 20 seconds difference! And (I could be wrong) that's without some of the chicanes for the bikes.
Nothing else goes around corner or brakes like an F1 car. To see it for real is mesmerising.
As for the current little spat. Simple fact is Vettel made a driving error and is p!ssed about it. He certainly should not benefit from the error and under the current rules....
Shackling the formula to make it more like 'lesser' formulae in the name of providing entertainment would be a travesty.
The racing itself has rarely been as close as some think, but the cars have always been the pinnacle of what is possible. Just look at the lap times at Barcelona:
MotoGP : 1:39, F1 : 1:18. Yep 20 seconds difference! And (I could be wrong) that's without some of the chicanes for the bikes.
Nothing else goes around corner or brakes like an F1 car. To see it for real is mesmerising.
As for the current little spat. Simple fact is Vettel made a driving error and is p!ssed about it. He certainly should not benefit from the error and under the current rules....
Shackling the formula to make it more like 'lesser' formulae in the name of providing entertainment would be a travesty.
Mrbottomend
Active Member
Not being clever but think I did suggest this previously...as per another comment about...ah well...It must have crossed his mind and theirs a few times!
And I cannot claim no one thought of long before me! On separate note:
Yes, some, including Vettel...and time/energy/mood of whole team taking on a false bunker "we was robbed" tone? Not an issue? Maybe not, but seems vanishingly unlikely.
Has Vettel once honestly said about this one "I made an error. Lewis/The Merc were the better on the day"? Then move on and try to eliminate mistakes and improve car then you can win fairly!
I guess it would be unfair not to name check Toto here though. Hamilton gets a lot of the credit and is good at thanking the team, but even though Toto is often on camera (as is his lovely wife
, he doesn't seem to get name checked directly often. So to make up for that deficiency, may I just say, is he not one of the smartest guys to have walked the walk at the top of F1?If Hamilton is approaching GOAT...where does Toto stand as Team Principal now in that pantheon?...obvs inc. Ron in heyday, Frank in heyday, Todt etc etc (not Eddie obvs, however much of a naughty cheeky Irish elf he is!)....
Not being clever but think I did suggest this previously...as per another comment about...ah well...It must have crossed his mind and theirs a few times!
On separate note:
Yes, some, including Vettel...and time/energy/mood of whole team taking on a false bunker "we was robbed" tone? Not an issue? Maybe not, but seems vanishingly unlikely.
Has Vettel once honestly said about this one "I made an error. Lewis/The Merc were the better on the day"? Then move on and try to eliminate mistakes and improve car then you can win fairly!
I guess it would be unfair not to name check Toto here though. Hamilton gets a lot of the credit and is good at thanking the team, but even though Toto is often on camera (as is his lovely wife
If Hamilton is approaching GOAT...where does Toto stand as Team Principal now in that pantheon?...obvs inc. Ron in heyday, Frank in heyday, Todt etc etc (not Eddie obvs, however much of a naughty cheeky Irish elf he is!)....
Pretty sure a potential move for Lewis to the Red team has been discussed before.
I'd like to see what Ferrari offer up as additional pertinent evidence when/if the recent incident is reviewed.
Toto is definitely up there in the Team Principle stakes and for sure is very smart. The Mercedes team is from what I can see from the comfort of my armchair, well organised and well motivated. They clearly have very talented and dedicated staff and two drivers that are (currently) working together.
Whether Toto is better than Ross Brawn, Jean Todt, Ken Tyrell, Colin Chapman, Bruce McLaren, John Surtees, Enzo Ferrari, Ron Dennis, et al..? Tough call.
Susie Wolff is as smart as she is good looking. Whenever I've seen her on TV, she comes across as somebody worth spending time with. I would have liked to see her driving the Williams F1 car more often than she was allowed to. Now of course as team principle in Formula E, she has some rather different challenges to face.
grober
MB Master
Its possible this latest Ferrari appeal comes from a level even higher than the team itself- from the boardroom. It could be argued that no other team relies on its F1 profile to sell its products so much as Ferrari. They sell supercars- cars that are faster than the rest- that's their image and history. 
In comparison Red Bull sell fizzy drinks. 
Other teams have car manufacturer names of course Mercedes, Renault, McLaren Alfa Romeo etc but of these perhaps only McLaren are open to the same vulnerability of always requiring to have the " fastest" image to sell product. Publicity-wise Ferrari had the opportunity here to carefully play the martyr -- the team that got the "rightful result" stolen from them by regulations- by continuing to protest they are in danger of simply appearing to be a bad loser. Sometimes in the publicity game you can win when you lose-if you play it right.
In comparison Red Bull sell fizzy drinks. Other teams have car manufacturer names of course Mercedes, Renault, McLaren Alfa Romeo etc but of these perhaps only McLaren are open to the same vulnerability of always requiring to have the " fastest" image to sell product. Publicity-wise Ferrari had the opportunity here to carefully play the martyr -- the team that got the "rightful result" stolen from them by regulations- by continuing to protest they are in danger of simply appearing to be a bad loser. Sometimes in the publicity game you can win when you lose-if you play it right. 
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PobodY
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Absolutely. - I wish her every success in her new role.
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My observation is that when you see a well led successful operation that you look at second tier of management as well and what they inherited.
Mr Wolff hit the ground running with a team that was well backed and on the up. So I think the jury is out just on that career technicality. Ross Brawn by comparison was involved as part of that second tier at Ferrari and was part of their rise - and he struck again with getting the title with his namesake ex Honda team. Bruce McLaren and Enzo Ferrari and Colin Chapman created something where there was nothing.
^Agreed.
Bellow
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
This: ''Bruce McLaren and Enzo Ferrari and Colin Chapman created something where there was nothing'' in spades.
A bit surprised by Jean Todt's inclusion. In my mind he was irretrievably rubbished by Cesare Fiorio when CF was with Lancia and JT Peugeot. Another case of running to the rule enforcers but in that case there was absolutely no doubt which way the law was interpreted. An absolute blinder by CF!
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If they had ruled in favour of Ferrari, would Mercedes have then complained suggesting that Lewis didn’t need to pass but be within 5 seconds ?
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Stratman
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Reading the BBC report, the stewards were quite particular in their reasons for rejecting the review. Ferrari specifically went for a 'right to review', which needs "significant and relevant new elements which were unavailable to the parties at the time". The stewards decided the material presented by Ferrari was neither significant nor new.
If the weather stays the same, qualifying could be interesting. The soft tyres disintegrated in a very short time due to the high track temperatures, so any driver needing them to make it to Q3 will have to start the race on virtually knackered rubber. Race strategy could be fun.
If the weather stays the same, qualifying could be interesting. The soft tyres disintegrated in a very short time due to the high track temperatures, so any driver needing them to make it to Q3 will have to start the race on virtually knackered rubber. Race strategy could be fun.
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Well done McLaren!
Lewis showed again why it is no accident why he is a 5 times World Champion. He has the self belief and control only use maximum attack when it is required and only turns it up to '11' when it matters. The rest of the time he is happy to save himself and the car.
As the wind was inconsistent in P3 he also showed his other trump card. Whilst all the other drivers were, as you might imagine, reactive to the conditions.
Lewis was pro-active. He seems to be able to use his internal barometer and gyros to be able to predict the conditions on any given corner at the given time.
He admitted to getting it wrong on the second to last turn on his final lap, but still put in two laps which nobody else could get near.
McLaren put their faith in a young 13 year old Karter almost 20 years ago now, and seem to have chosen well again with another school kid called Lando....
As the wind was inconsistent in P3 he also showed his other trump card. Whilst all the other drivers were, as you might imagine, reactive to the conditions.
Lewis was pro-active. He seems to be able to use his internal barometer and gyros to be able to predict the conditions on any given corner at the given time.
He admitted to getting it wrong on the second to last turn on his final lap, but still put in two laps which nobody else could get near.
McLaren put their faith in a young 13 year old Karter almost 20 years ago now, and seem to have chosen well again with another school kid called Lando....
Seb was definitely off the boil today. Too much focus on the last race and insufficient on this one.
The Sky F1 interview with Mercedes Tech Director James Allison is well worth a look as he explains the role of suspension in F1.
He rightly states it is there 'just to support the aero platform' but what I hadn't realised on the current car is the that suspension reduces the front ride height with steering lock! Genius! Anyone who has run aero based race cars will understand the enormity of this function.
The more lock applied and the more the dynamics and aerodynamics are front loaded. Brilliant at getting the cars to turn in to low speed turns, and if you are using that much lock at high speed, then you are already having the accident....
Wish I'd thought of that, or had the geometry and hydraulics to make it function back in the day
He rightly states it is there 'just to support the aero platform' but what I hadn't realised on the current car is the that suspension reduces the front ride height with steering lock! Genius! Anyone who has run aero based race cars will understand the enormity of this function.
The more lock applied and the more the dynamics and aerodynamics are front loaded. Brilliant at getting the cars to turn in to low speed turns, and if you are using that much lock at high speed, then you are already having the accident....
Wish I'd thought of that, or had the geometry and hydraulics to make it function back in the day
