Formula 1 2025

[martyz]

Good point I accept that

 

[fabes]

Wowsers!

That was a good start (to the season)
Street circuit line paint seemed a factor here, and biker mates tell me it's lethal when damp....

Good result
Madness to stay out on slicks on that track when it was that wet
How did Piastri get back on track (I missed that)?
Hamilton got a point at least

 

[HappytalkAgain]

Yikes!

 

[Mactech]

Wowsers!

How did Piastri get back on track (I missed that)?
Hamilton got a point at least

Piastri reversed slowly off the grass to the perimeter road....as suggested by MB in commentary!
On the very last lap he went around the outside of Lewis on the fastest turn...on the wetter line! Just how much downforce has that McLaren got?

 

[Petrol Pete]

Wowsers!

That was a good start (to the season)
Street circuit line paint seemed a factor here, and biker mates tell me it's lethal when damp....

Good result
Madness to stay out on slicks on that track when it was that wet
How did Piastri get back on track (I missed that)?
Hamilton got a point at least

Your biker mates are right about the white lines , I believe here in the UK there is a 'friction minimum' but I know from experience that in other countries they can be like ice when wet .

 

[Steveml63]

Tyre compounds and tread blocks have changed for this season - so even the experienced drivers need to relearn the new tyre limits

 

[GeeJayW]

Tyre compounds and tread blocks have changed for this season - so even the experienced drivers need to relearn the new tyre limits

Alonso ran wide exiting Turn 6 and dropped a wheel in the gravel, not something he makes a habit of. Hadjar and Doohan were caught out by very aggressive surges in torque (on change up in Doohan’s case). Great drive from Lando and a deserved result.

Good to see Anthony Hamilton throw an arm around Hadjar.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

Good to see Anthony Hamilton throw an arm around Hadjar.

Something we’d expect to see Jos doing!

 

[HappytalkAgain]

I loved this.

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[Mactech]

Long after the race was over, the stewards reviewed new evidence of Kimi's unsafe release penalty...and overturned it!

F1 stewards announce Kimi Antonelli decision after Mercedes appeal

The stewards announce whether Mercedes' appeal has been successful

www.crash.net

Not only does it give Kimi back his rightly deserved 4th place, but it also makes Mercedes joint leaders of the championship.
How long is it since that can have been said?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

On the very last lap he went around the outside of Lewis on the fastest turn...on the wetter line! Just how much downforce has that McLaren got?

Pass of the day IMHO, very impressive. Even taking into account that Lewis is a fair racer and leaves space, that was a very committed pass which shows real talent.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Not only does it give Kimi back his rightly deserved 4th place, but it also makes Mercedes joint leaders of the championship.

Finishing fourth is quite an achievement for Kimi.

McLaren is our team at Chez Dazzler, very closely followed by Mercedes-AMG so this is a great start to the season for us.

 

[Steveml63]

Hi,
I have always followed McLaren and have been lucky enough to have done business with them in three different locations!
in 1985 sold them temperature controllers for their carbon fibre ovens at their original canalside shed in the centre of Woking,
Their trophies were on a high shelf all around the top of the tea room.
A few years later - visited them at the Orange bowl HQ on edge of Sheerwater estate in Woking.
The trophies were in big glass cabinets to left side of reception.
More recently - visited their amazing new lakeside HQ!
Cheers
Steve

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

More recently - visited their amazing new lakeside HQ!

MTC is mind blowing. Ron’s DNA is all over the place. I don’t mean it’s like a crime scene, I mean his influence is forever baked into McLaren for as long as they’re at MTC

 

[HappytalkAgain]

MTC is mind blowing. Ron’s DNA is all over the place. I don’t mean it’s like a crime scene, I mean his influence is forever baked into McLaren for as long as they’re at MTC

Your 2nd home.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Your 2nd home.

 

[fabes]

I did a VIP tour there years ago (took my dad) and Lewis rocked up and did an impromptu Q&A.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

Speaking of Ron Dennis I’d genuinely like to see his take on McLarens recent revival. I know he came across as a fairly dull guy but he seemed passionate about ‘all things McLaren’ back in the day. I was sad when he moved on and Whitmarsh took on the role.

Wonder if @Mactech has any thoughts or comments about Ron?

 

[Mactech]

Wonder if @Mactech has any thoughts or comments about Ron?

Yes, think Ron was responsible for the presentation of F1 as we know it today. I first met him in 1978 whilst he was running Project 4 F2 team.
Any guesses as to what he had done before that? That year his drivers were Eddie Cheever and Ingo Hofman.
I remember being very impressed by the inside of his artic transporter. Each of the spares were laid out in their own foam filled trays in metal cabinets.
Every one of the rod ends were perfectly aligned and displayed. Contrast that to our own spares which would be stuffed into plastic bags in a old amo box in our scruffy old Ford A series Luton van....
He set standards of presentation that everyone else in motorsports tried to emulate. Eddie Cheever was my driver for 3 years at TWR Jaguar from 86 to 88 and had many tales of obsessively tidy Ron.
When I ran the Gulf McLarens in sportscars 96 to 98, it was Ron himself who had to sign off the livery so that that cars would represent Mclaren properly, even down to the exact pantone of the flouro orange...


What I remember most was the size of the organisations he set up to ensure that the Mclarens were not only quick but above all (it seemed!) to be presented well.
In 1999 I was tasked with setting up the Palmer Audi race series to allow drivers on a very minimal budget to race in a 'even opportunities' series and of course, on a very tight budget. Jonathan Palmer thought that that there may well be budding race engineers within the F1 teams who could use some on track experience of handling drivers at the circuit without the costs of running an F1 car to train them. I put out feelers to see if any the teams would be willing to trade giving their engineers some hands on experience in return for a little 'weekend work' at the Palmer Audi race meetings,
I had a good response from a few teams, but McLaren said they had 10 guys they would love to put through the scheme
Martin Whitmarsh hosted me for a complete afternoon to explain how this might work and I had the full attention of 10 of the best engineers at McLaren.
In a motorsport world where getting a few moments of someone's time is rare, this was a complete revelation and testament to the organisation that Ron had managed to fund and build up. The scheme was a success and a total of 12 engineers were rotated amongst all of the Palmer Audi drivers over the next 2 seasons gaining huge experience of 'that soft squidgy bit' in the centre of the car to add to their engineering experience.

As Bobby Dazzler says, the Lakeside headquarters is a manifestation of Ron in building form.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

Yes, think Ron was responsible for the presentation of F1 as we know it today. I first met him in 1978 whilst he was running Project 4 F2 team.
Any guesses as to what he had done before that? That year his drivers were Eddie Cheever and Ingo Hofman.
I remember being very impressed by the inside of his artic transporter. Each of the spares were laid out in their own foam filled trays in metal cabinets.
Every one of the rod ends were perfectly aligned and displayed. Contrast that to our own spares which would be stuffed into plastic bags in a old amo box in our scruffy old Ford A series Luton van....
He set standards of presentation that everyone else in motorsports tried to emulate. Eddie Cheever was my driver for 3 years at TWR Jaguar from 86 to 88 and had many tales of obsessively tidy Ron.
When I ran the Gulf McLarens in sportscars 96 to 98, it was Ron himself who had to sign off the livery so that that cars would represent Mclaren properly, even down to the exact pantone of the flouro orange...

View attachment 169051
What I remember most was the size of the organisations he set up to ensure that the Mclarens were not only quick but above all (it seemed!) to be presented well.
In 1999 I was tasked with setting up the Palmer Audi race series to allow drivers on a very minimal budget to race in a 'even opportunities' series and of course, on a very tight budget. Jonathan Palmer thought that that there may well be budding race engineers within the F1 teams who could use some on track experience of handling drivers at the circuit without the costs of running an F1 car to train them. I put out feelers to see if any the teams would be willing to trade giving their engineers some hands on experience in return for a little 'weekend work' at the Palmer Audi race meetings,
I had a good response from a few teams, but McLaren said they had 10 guys they would love to put through the scheme
Martin Whitmarsh hosted me for a complete afternoon to explain how this might work and I had the full attention of 10 of the best engineers at McLaren.
In a motorsport world where getting a few moments of someone's time is rare, this was a complete revelation and testament to the organisation that Ron had managed to fund and build up. The scheme was a success and a total of 12 engineers were rotated amongst all of the Palmer Audi drivers over the next 2 seasons gaining huge experience of 'that soft squidgy bit' in the centre of the car to add to their engineering experience.

As Bobby Dazzler says, the Lakeside headquarters is a manifestation of Ron in building form.

Thanks for that Alistair.

I assume you’ve been to the MTC many times? We had our name down for a tour for many years. The invite finally arrived 3 days before our daughter was due so we politely declined. Unfortunately we never got a second chance.