2021 Formula 1 Thread

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZontheRocks

Pretty much knew what the top of the grid would like like at the end (though great dramas during final laps), but greatly disappointed in Charlie’s race today. Did not think he would be out of the points, let alone in 17th. Tsk tsk.

Ferrari stop all development on their 2021 car

Date published: June 19 2021


All eyes have turned to 2022 at Ferrari, with the Scuderia confirming they are no longer developing their 2021 challenger – the SF21.

The SF21 has represented progress at the Prancing Horse as they have emerged from the boggy bottom of the midfield battle in 2020 and propelled themselves into a fight for P3 in the Constructors’ standing with McLaren.

But, if they are to see off their age-old rivals for the top spot behind Red Bull and Mercedes in 2021, they will be doing it with pretty much the same car now throughout the rest of the campaign.

With a regulation reset on the way in 2022, Ferrari want to have as much time and resources possible working on their new car for next season.


“From a car development point of view, we have already made our decisions,” Mekies said via Formula1.com.

“It is all on 2022, and there will be no real upgrade coming to improve these weaknesses [on the SF21].

“However you can always work on the issues by simply understanding them better, and if you understand them better, either because you correlate them better or you simply understand what are the reasons for which we are performing a bit less in those conditions, it can open the door to solutions that you can already apply.”

https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...1-development/

[Hotrodz]

I think even MB and RB are doing the same thing but less conspicuous than Ferrari. MB put it out there early after the rule changes that they would not be as competitive because it didn't make sense to put more effort into a car for one year when major rule changes are coming in 2022. The closeness of the battle at the top will dictate which team blinks first on the we are done trying to make their car better for the rest of the 2021 season.

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Why the FIA rejected calls to ditch Paul Ricard sausage kerbs
By: Jonathan Noble
Jun 22, 2021, 8:51 AM
Formula 1's new feature of offering snapshots of radio messages between teams on the pitwall and race control has been a fascinating addition for fans.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/wh...kerbs/6596579/

Toto Wolff's complaint about Nikita Mazepin in Spain, and Red Bull team manager Jonathan Wheatley's call to red flag the race in Baku, delivered the type of behind-the-scenes team emotion that has previously been hidden.

But the insight hit a new peak during Friday practice at the French Grand Prix when both Mercedes and Red Bull urged F1 race director Michael Masi to change sausage kerbs that were in place at the exit of Turn 2.


That was because a number of drivers had crunched across them over the course of the day, and the damage to front wings and other carbon fibre bits was ramping up.

First to complain was Mercedes sporting director Ron Meadows, who pointed out the excessive financial penalty his team was facing because of the kerbs.

"Those yellow rumble strips on the exit of two have done an awful lot of damage to our car," he messaged to Masi. "They're just too aggressive."

Masi was quick to reply.: "They are the 50mm ones that we normally have in a lot of places Ron."

Meadows then responded: "All I'm telling you is our car is rooted because we went over them and we can't say 'Well, you shouldn't go there' because that's tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage by going three-foot too wide."

Without a moment's hesitation, Masi came back: "It's a bit more than three foot but I'll have a look. Thank you."

In the afternoon session, it was Red Bull's Wheatley who took to the radio to ask for a rethink about the kerbs after Verstappen had run wide at one point – losing some of his front wing that the team wanted back.

"It's been interesting watching the cars going through turn two and thinking about those yellow kerbs on the exit there," said Wheatley.

"We've just done a shed-load of damage to our car and I'm pretty sure Max didn't end up there on purpose. It just seems to be such a huge penalty for a minor indiscretion on the drivers' part. I was wondering whether you would consider, I don't know, removing half of them."

Masi swiftly replied that the kerbs were not a new addition and had been there in 2019 without any complaints.

Wheatley added: "We know that these cars use different areas and, if you look now on these long runs, they're not going anywhere near them. As I say, it just seems the penalty for going wide, which could be a timing loop, is about £100,000."

But Masi bought the conversation to a close with: "I think I've heard a number of team principals and drivers ask for physical limits Jonathan as well….I'll have a look at it all this evening."

Masi's reply was almost certainly in direct reference to comments from a number of senior figures, including Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, demanding that early season track limits controversies could have avoided by the addition of walls or gravel traps.

But, true to his word to the teams, Masi did go down and inspect the kerbs on Friday night to see if there was any need to remove them.

In the end, he elected not to take them away. And sure enough, the lessons learned from the car damage on Friday meant that drivers steered well clear of them for the rest of the weekend.

Reflecting on why he took the decision to keep them, Masi said that the fact the kerbs were well outside track limits, plus a recent push for more physical deterrents, were key to his call.

"There are probably a number of elements there," explained Masi.

"One was those kerbs were in place last time we were here in 2019. And secondly, they were over two metres from the edge of the track, so you had to be completely off the track to actually come in contact with them.

"But they were reviewed on Friday night following the discussion at the drivers' meeting. I went and physically went to look at them at Turn 2, as much to satisfy myself that everything was correct.

"But more importantly, as we've heard on a number of occasions, particularly this year, they want physical limits and that is very clearly a physical limit.

"Having come off two street circuits at Baku and Monaco, it is quite clear there are physical limits there and it was the same in this circumstance. And, to be fair, during the race there were no issues at all."

F1 has almost certainly not had its final controversy over track limits, but Masi standing firm on the Paul Ricard kerbs shows he's willing to commit to what he feels is best even if not all teams like it.

[Hotrodz]

F1 has let the teams get away with murder when it comes to track limits and even time penalties don't often matter to the top runners. As in training animals or arresting criminals that are resisting arrest, pain compliance is the rule. If you want the pain to go away simply do as I say!

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Happy Qualy Day! Austria!

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https://cricfree.live/watchfeeds/index/147

If you need a link to watch. RACE DAY!

[God-Speed]

That had to be one of the most boring races I have watched.

[Ventruck]

My boy Leclerc drove like a man during the later stretch of the race.

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by God-Speed

That had to be one of the most boring races I have watched.

Fully agree. No action or drama the Austrian version of Spain GP. BORING.

Also Mercedes announce today they will develop no further and work on next years machine. So game and match to RedBull. Boring. Really now in review Redbull are dominating. They gave Bahrain away. So 6 of 8 races it should be for RedBull.

Wolff: Title race isn’t over despite end to Mercedes development
By:
Luke Smith
Jun 27, 2021, 12:43 PM
Toto Wolff believes the Formula 1 title race is “far from over” despite Mercedes’ decision to stop developing its 2021 car as it sticks to its resource plan for 2022.

[ZCanadian]

"Excitement" once again becomes collateral damage to FIA rules...

Bernie was right - F1 needs intermittent lawn sprinklers at random corners in each race. DO IT!!!

[DLSTR]

Now this is what Mercedes say on future updates --

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/me...hopes/6621736/

Mercedes still planning car and engine upgrades to boost F1 hopes
By:
Jonathan Noble
Jun 29, 2021, 7:10 AM
Mercedes has revealed it is planning to bring aerodynamic and engine improvements for the next races that it hopes can help it close the gap to Formula 1 rival Red Bull.

While team boss Toto Wolff said after its defeat in last weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix that the outfit’s development focus was fully on 2022’s rules, it has clarified that it does not mean that developments to the current W12 have stopped completely.

Technical director James Allison has revealed that Mercedes still has upgrades that have been under development for some time, plus the German manufacturer’s engine division is also looking at what tweaks it can make to power unit management to help there too.

Speaking to the F1 Nation Podcast, Allison said: “We have a reasonable number of things that are going to make our car faster in the coming races, and let's hope they prove sufficient.”

Asked how his remarks contrasted with Wolff’s comments regarding there being no further upgrades to the current car, Allison said: “I don't think those two things are at odds with each other. And I don’t think Toto has said precisely that.

“What Toto points out is that next year's rules are a big and hairy affair, and that they demand a huge amount of our attention. So most of the focus of our factory has switched over to next year, the performance discovery for next year.

“But that doesn't mean that there aren't things still in the food-chain from prior to that focus switch. And furthermore, it isn't all of the factory. And furthermore, we're only one of two factories, there's also the PU factory and there is a little bit more to come also from the PU.

“So there's some more aerodynamic change in the offing. A little bit on the PU, we hope, on the delivery side, and just a few things that are not quite as tidy as we would wish, that we still have got the opportunity to put right while this season is still very much alive and hot.”

Allison added that Mercedes’ challenge in finding performance gains with its current car had been made more difficult by the new floor rules for this year, which had cut back on downforce.

“Ever since the rule changes that were introduced aerodynamically for looking after the tyres, we have found it hellishly hard to find the sort of performance gain rate that we did previously prior to those rules," he explained. "So that has made our life trickier than we wished it to be.”

Allison also revealed that the 'wacky' set-up which trackside engineering chief Andrew Shovlin talked about after Styria was related to a mechanical aspect aimed at making the car performance better over both single lap and long runs.

“It was probably just sort of a bit of a colourful expression on Shov's part,” he said about it being 'wacky'. “It is a little different to how we normally run a car, mechanically. Aerodynamically it was very similar, ride height wise very similar.

“But [it was] just changing the roll distribution front to rear. That was different to how we normally would do it, seeking a better balance between single lap performance and long run performance.

“Whether we have got that compromise exactly as we would wish it, that sort of goes towards the list of unanswered questions that we're going to have an opportunity to answer by going back to the same track a second weekend running.”

He added: “We think it's quicker, but it's not without its compromises. So whether there is a better mousetrap, we'll find out.”

[ZCanadian]

It's strategic for Mercedes to keep Red Bull off the top step as often as possible this year, and especially Max. Has nothing to do with Lewis' whining, although Hamilton will have the most to benefit from any 2021 investment on behalf of MB.

If Verstappen has the ejection seat clause in his contract as was rumoured last year, then Red Bull needs to keep investing to give him a competitive car, or risk losing him. It does not matter how good the 2022 car is (and frankly, given the tire windows we've seen in the current development and the fact that so much is changing next year, everything in 2022 is a crap shoot), it is useless without Max in the driver's seat. So RBR and MB both recognize that 2021 is critical to Red Bull's retention of the Dutch driver. Horner will try as hard to keep him, as Wolfe will to get him to leave.

Oh, and it is no surprise that there will be an empty seat at Mercedes after this year. Toto seems in no rush to promise that place to the heir apparent, Russell. So, watch this space!!!

[Hotrodz]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

It's strategic for Mercedes to keep Red Bull off the top step as often as possible this year, and especially Max. Has nothing to do with Lewis' whining, although Hamilton will have the most to benefit from any 2021 investment on behalf of MB.

If Verstappen has the ejection seat clause in his contract as was rumoured last year, then Red Bull needs to keep investing to give him a competitive car, or risk losing him. It does not matter how good the 2022 car is (and frankly, given the tire windows we've seen in the current development and the fact that so much is changing next year, everything in 2022 is a crap shoot), it is useless without Max in the driver's seat. So RBR and MB both recognize that 2021 is critical to Red Bull's retention of the Dutch driver. Horner will try as hard to keep him, as Wolfe will to get him to leave.

Oh, and it is no surprise that there will be an empty seat at Mercedes after this year. Toto seems in no rush to promise that place to the heir apparent, Russell. So, watch this space!!!

AGREED!!!!!!

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[DLSTR]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/me...-wing/6623182/

Mercedes explains why it won't ditch 'barn door' rear wing
By: Jonathan Noble
Jul 1, 2021, 5:02 AM
Mercedes says that ditching its 'barn door' rear wing in favour of a low-drag solution like Red Bull to boost straightline speed would not improve its chances of winning in Formula 1.

The German car manufacturer has seen Red Bull win the last four F1 races, with one of its rival's key advantages being the edge it has on the straights.

Red Bull's supremacy there has been helped most recently by it opting for a lower downforce, low-drag rear wing solution, in contrast to Mercedes preferring to run with a bigger rear wing.

Speaking after the Styrian Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was clear about the role the different rear wing choices played in the characteristics of both cars.

"They [Mercedes] have got a barn door on the back of their car for this race and we had a pretty skinny rear wing," said Horner. "So you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out why we tend to be a bit quicker on the straights."

But while Mercedes does have lower-drag wings as an option, the team is clear that going down that route would actually end up making it slower.

The team's motorsport strategy director James Vowles said the team has consistently analysed what is the best wing solution to use, and feels its current downforce levels are correct.

"You could, of course, have less rear wing and go faster on the straight line but you would be sacrificing cornering performance and not just that," he explained in the regular post-race video produced by Mercedes.

"That also comes with effects on degradation. Conversely less rear wing allows you perhaps to overtake a little bit more, but there is a balance.


"We use simulation tools to run through all of the rear wing settings that we have available to us and come up with an optimum of what we should be running at this track.

"What we should be running for both overtaking, qualifying and race and in our case, it comes out with the rear wing setting that you see."

One suggestion about why Red Bull is better able to run with a lower-drag rear wing is that more of its downforce is produced by its floor and diffuser than the Mercedes, thanks to its high rake car concept.

It means that trimming off the rear wing does not cost it as much downforce as it would Mercedes, which has a low rake design.

Vowles admitted that the differences in rake meant it was hard to perfectly judge just what impact rear wing choices were having on car drag.

"Red Bull's [wing] is slightly less than ours, but they also rear ride height that is much higher, so it is very difficult to compare what drag their car is generating relative to ours," he explained.

"What we know is that with our car, and we have swept through, this where we are running on rear wing is optimal for laptime and ultimately that is what both qualifying and really the race is all about."

[axmea?]

So....I booked it and will be at the USGP at COTA in October.