Formula One 2018 - General Thread

[bob6600]

^^Yes he did drive well, although I'm sure after hitting Bottas he also hit Grosean? Can't remember now.
Mercedes miffed that Ferrari gained more points than them and tbh they do have a point. Also, VES was quick to point out that he received a 10 sec penalty for a similar incident this season.

 

[Stratman]

Remember what FIA stands for and all is made clear...

 

[Mactech]

Didn't really have anyone to beat last weekend though.

I beg to differ! At Le Mans you race the event itself! It covers almost the same distance as the whole F1 season in just 24 hours. On average you'll pass 10 cars a lap all driven by top line drivers. Yes, some will be in slower cars but that can be more of challenge than a help!
The rest of the guys in the Toyota team are there on merit and at the top of the Sportscar game. To get close to them and /or beat them is an outstanding achievement!

 

[GeeJayW]

I beg to differ! At Le Mans you race the event itself! It covers almost the same distance as the whole F1 season in just 24 hours. On average you'll pass 10 cars a lap all driven by top line drivers. Yes, some will be in slower cars but that can be more of challenge than a help!
The rest of the guys in the Toyota team are there on merit and at the top of the Sportscar game. To get close to them and /or beat them is an outstanding achievement!

I do get that. Endurance racing is no cakewalk. Toyota are a great team that have put so much into endurance racing over the years and their victory at Le Mans this year is fully deserved. I would have liked to see them win by beating comparable cars such as Porsche or Audi Hybrid LMP1s. Alas they were the last man standing in the Hybrid LMP1 category, and they performed with pace and reliability over the weekend to deliver a win. Not easy, but surely rather easier than having to also battle with other similarly high performing cars?

 

[guhvies]

BTW, what happened to Alonso? His car had significant rear wheel damage at the end of the race when he was going to the pits.

 

[DSM10000]

BTW, what happened to Alonso? His car had significant rear wheel damage at the end of the race when he was going to the pits.

Suspension failure.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Suspension failure.

Unusual to see Positive Camber. Would that indicate that McLaren use pullrod suspension set up?

 

[DSM10000]

Unusual to see Positive Camber. Would that indicate that McLaren use pullrod suspension set up?

I have no idea of the technicalities, just picked the info from the BBC

 

[GeeJayW]

Unusual to see Positive Camber. Would that indicate that McLaren use pullrod suspension set up?

I'm sure Mactech would have more informed view, but as far as I know Camber is independent of push-rod or pull-rod. Almost never see positive camber (wheels leaning outwards at the top) on modern racing car set ups. Nearly all have some amount of negative camber.

 

[Dryce]

Maybe so, but notwithstanding the first corner he drove well. Bit rough on Bottas to have suffered floor damage.

I think the penalty wasn't in itself unfair. It was not that much more than a 'racing incident' IMO.

It was rough on Bottas. But that's the way of things in a race. OTOH both drivers benefitted from the safety car. And Vettel's recovery drive was impressive - and I suspect quite calculated - had there been rain or another safety car he would have been in with chance of getting on the podium.

 

[Steveml63]

I think the penalty wasn't in itself unfair. It was not that much more than a 'racing incident' IMO.

It was rough on Bottas. But that's the way of things in a race. OTOH both drivers benefitted from the safety car. And Vettel's recovery drive was impressive - and I suspect quite calculated - had there been rain or another safety car he would have been in with chance of getting on the podium.

Hi,
Bottas definitely saved Hamilton from a Vettel overtake, on the first corner.
He blocked Vettel from going round Hamilton - as Vettel was on the softer tyre - which gave a 4m advantage by the first corner (according to the pundits).
Unfortunate that the damage to Bottas’s car then meant that Vettel still ended up ahead of him.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Mactech]

I'm sure Mactech would have more informed view, but as far as I know Camber is independent of push-rod or pull-rod. Almost never see positive camber (wheels leaning outwards at the top) on modern racing car set ups. Nearly all have some amount of negative camber.

Yes, a very odd failure on the rear suspension. Probably one part of the inboard mounting of the lower rear wishbone. Being carbon, when they break....they break! So to have the wheel still giving ride height, and directional control I can only think that it was a 'partial' failure of the lower mounting. But I only saw what you saw!
Do you know why the old Bentleys and Buggatis had such positive camber on the front wheels on the 20's and 30's?
I really didn't understand it until I got to drive one slowly at Bentley! The force required to steer the car is so great that without reducing the scrub radius by aligning the the kingpin axis with the centre of the tyre it's just about impossible to turn the the vast steering wheel.
It didn't do the grip any favours, but at least you had some chance of steering! When men were men.....

 

[Tensofbenz]

I enjoyed the French GP, good to see the points so close. There has always been dominance from one team or other in all the years i've been watching it. I can enjoy a race that looks boring from the results by watching what is going on further down the grid, its not all about the top three.

 

[artyman]

I hate the track colour scheme, it's like first world war dazzle camoflage

 

[Deleted member 113659]

I hate the track colour scheme, it's like first world war dazzle camoflage

It’s not just for looks. It’s a coating applied to offer grip to cars that are spinning off.

Not sure how efficient it is.

 

[Stratman]

.....................................

Not sure how efficient it is.

The Ch4 droids were saying the blue areas are very abrasive, the red ones extremely so. to the extent that they reduce tyre life. Seems like a good idea to me, providing plenty of grip to slow cars bound for the hedge and encouraging drivers to keep track limits.

 

[Chrishazle]

I thought I saw one car headed for the barrier, when he got to the red stuff his tyres shredded!

 

[Tensofbenz]

It certainly doesn't do much for the look of the track, and i'm not sure i'm a fan of very large run off areas either, but it certainly seems to work as a safety device.

 

[grober]

I thought the track was hideous. On the spinal tap "hideous scale" of 1 to 10 it scored 11.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[st13phil]

It's probably one of those things that you don't really notice as a spectator at the track, but that stick out like a sore thumb on TV pictures when the cameras have a higher vantage point.

Which all sounds like another darn good reason to visit the south of France. As if I needed another