2022 Formula 1 Thread

[axmea?]

F1 TV Pro is 20% off. Now available on Firestick too. Wasn't so LY.

[danegrey]

Day three times

1. Perez (Red Bull) 1m33.105s, C4, 43 laps
2. Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1m33.959s, C4, 82 laps
3. Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1m34.865s, C4, 91 laps
4. Sainz (Ferrari) 1m34.905s, C5, 68 laps
5. Alonso (Alpine) 1m35.328s, C4, 54 laps
6. Norris (McLaren) 1m35.504s, C3, 39 laps
7. Latifi (Williams) 1m35.634s, C3, 73 laps
8. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1m36.029s, C3, 53 laps
9. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m36.217s, C5, 78 laps
10. Magnussen (Haas) 1m38.616s, C2, 38 laps

Haas still having issues, water and fuel leak problems

Morning round-up
- Perez sets fastest time of testing so far in upgraded Red Bull
- Car, which has updated sidepods in particular, hit track after 50 minutes
- Most laps of all (91) for Gasly, who completed near-race distance over three stints
- Haas loses time early in morning to water pressure leak after Magnussen's early start
- Williams changes run plan; will give Latifi majority of afternoon session after Friday fire

[DLSTR]

Mercedes appear to be very much struggling to gain pace and balance. All RedBull today so far even with 2+ hours left in the last session now.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ha...t-now/8928537/

Hamilton: Mercedes not in hunt for F1 wins right now
Lewis Hamilton believes that Mercedes is not currently in a position to fight for Formula 1 race wins in the wake of its ongoing test struggles.

Mercedes has endured a tricky time in Bahrain this week, with its W13 suffering from porpoising and proving to be a handful for both Hamilton and team-mate George Russell.

With the German manufacturer yet to find an answer for its woes with just one week to go before the opening race of the season at the Sakhir Circuit, Hamilton is downbeat about the team’s immediate prospects.

Speaking on Saturday about if the situation had already prompted some concerns about him not being in a position to fight for the championship, Hamilton said: “Obviously it's a little bit too early to have those kind of thoughts. But at the moment, I don't think we'll be competing for wins.

“But there is a potential within our car to get us there. We have just got to be able to extract it and fix some of the problems, which is what we're working on.”

While Mercedes’ Bahrain struggles appear to be similar to the difficulties it faced in the test 12 months ago, before turning things around to win the first race, Hamilton says the situation is far from being a repeat scenario.

He suggests that the fixes Mercedes need to make to get on top of its car will require more than just set-up tweaks.

[danegrey]

HERTA GETS 2022 F1 TESTING PROGRAMME WITH YEAR-OLD McLAREN

https://the-race.com/formula-1/herta...r-old-mclaren/

[DLSTR]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/th...ubles/8953338/

The photo that offers clues about Mercedes’ F1 troubles
Lewis Hamilton’s declaration that Mercedes is not in a position to win Formula 1 races at this stage of the season says much about the extent of its testing troubles.

Jonathan Noble
By:
Jonathan Noble
Co-author:
Matt Somerfield
Mar 13, 2022, 5:26 AM

For however much its rivals believe the German car manufacturer is sandbagging, it was clear from observing the W13 on track that it is not in a happy place right now.

The excessive porpoising, lurid oversteer moments and struggles to find consistency through a corner have left it on the back foot.

But while there has been no detailed explanation yet about what its issues are, some late modifications to the car – including the drastic move of cutting away some of its floor structure – have offered us some clues about the team’s difficulties.

As our exclusive photograph (below== picture 1 with white arrow) shows, late on Saturday Mercedes took the saw to the innermost underfloor strake, removing some of the lower edge, in an effort to change flow distribution out and across the forward section of the floor and into the underfloor and diffuser section.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Their final few runs of the session were also completed with the W13’s underfloor having been doused with flo-viz, in order that it might get some visual confirmation of the competing flow structures and hope that it might provide some further feedback on the direction it might need to take to solve the ill effects that the phenomenon creates.

The move to cut the floor shows that Mercedes is trying to find a way to get rid of the porpoising problem without having to raise the ride height so much that it loses its peak downforce.

Trimming, refining and even adding details to certain areas of the floor appears to be the preferred way that Mercedes feels it can get its car in the right window.

The floor design, as a whole, is new and part of the package of parts introduced by the team at the beginning of the test alongside its radical sidepod concept.

And, where the team had previously had a more complex wave-like section on the front edge of the floor, it is now a little more simplified (red arrow).

What’s more, the design of the floor's edge could be considered simplistic when compared with some of its rivals, who might be using the geometry, allowable edge wing and some flexion to keep the floor's attitude more stable.

Meanwhile, Mercedes has been forced to add a metal stay, which prevents the entire floor edge from flexing too much (blue arrow), whereas on the Ferrari, below, this only really has authority over the section rear of the cutout and edge wing.


The last few runs also saw Mercedes run the car with more angle of attack applied on the front wing (you’ll note how steeply inclined the upper flap is relative to the adjustment points), in an effort to shift the car balance forward and put the car more on the nose.

This did seem to have the effect of making the car a little more pointier to help get rid of understeer and also raise the rear a little which could help with its bouncing issues.

[ZCanadian]

Rule tweaks for 2022, including clarification about un-lapping.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...-2022/9025157/

[God-Speed]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

Rule tweaks for 2022, including clarification about un-lapping.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...-2022/9025157/

And so it begins!

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by God-Speed

And so it begins!

The idiot Masi violated his own edict from Nurburgring 2020 - So what really changed LOL!????? This is exactly why he was removed. Inconsistency based on precedent. Had ZERO to do with Mercedes. His own rulings are and were the issue.

--Masi defended his actions at that point and, given the fact all lapped runners were able to pass the Safety Car and get away – but there was a particular ruling he went on to seemingly contradict at the weekend:

“There’s a requirement in the sporting regulations to wave all the lapped cars past,” Masi said at the time.-- The 2020 Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring

[ZontheRocks]

Finished up the newest Drive to Survive on Netflix and the lady and I are juiced for this race season. The Netflix show is all for entertainment purposes, though with them filming at all times, I really wish they had an episode per race.

This F1 season should be another one filled with drama and I am all in.

[God-Speed]

Originally Posted by DLSTR

The idiot Masi violated his own edict from Nurburgring 2020 - So what really changed LOL!????? This is exactly why he was removed. Inconsistency based on precedent. Had ZERO to do with Mercedes. His own rulings are and were the issue.

--Masi defended his actions at that point and, given the fact all lapped runners were able to pass the Safety Car and get away – but there was a particular ruling he went on to seemingly contradict at the weekend:

“There’s a requirement in the sporting regulations to wave all the lapped cars past,” Masi said at the time.-- The 2020 Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring

[ZCanadian]

Nico Hulkenberg to start for Aston Marin in Bahrain, after Seb tests positive for Covid 19.
Both sad, and happy about this.
Never a dull moment in Formula 1.

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

Nico Hulkenberg to start for Aston Marin in Bahrain, after Seb tests positive for Covid 19.
Both sad, and happy about this.
Never a dull moment in Formula 1.

Oh the virus will just disappear lol??? Buffonery..........relaxed protocols with variants more easily spread!! Wait till mechanics are taken out. Drivers dont wrench!!

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/hu...-test/9070571/

Just 24 hours before practice begins for the F1 season opener, Aston Martin announced that Vettel would not be able to take part.

It means that Hulkenberg will be making his fourth appearance for the Aston Martin team having been drafted in previously when its drivers were taken ill.

Sergio Perez had to miss both Silverstone races in 2020, while Lance Stroll was forced out of that year’s Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurbugring.

Vettel is the ninth F1 driver to test positive and his absence comes just one week after McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo had to miss last week’s pre-season test with COVID.

Prior to being taken unwell, the Australian had mixed with drivers ahead of the event for a Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) photoshoot on the Bahrain grid to show their solidarity with Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

F1 has relaxed its COVID protocols for this year, with its previously strict regime of regular mandatory PCR testing having been wound back.

Now, PCR tests are only recommended, and F1 has moved away from the strict bubble system that was in place throughout much of the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

[ZCanadian]

Originally Posted by DLSTR

Oh the virus will just disappear lol??? Buffonery..........relaxed protocols with variants more easily spread!! Wait till mechanics are taken out. Drivers dont wrench!!

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/hu...-test/9070571/

Just 24 hours before practice begins for the F1 season opener, Aston Martin announced that Vettel would not be able to take part.

It means that Hulkenberg will be making his fourth appearance for the Aston Martin team having been drafted in previously when its drivers were taken ill.

Sergio Perez had to miss both Silverstone races in 2020, while Lance Stroll was forced out of that year’s Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurbugring.

Vettel is the ninth F1 driver to test positive and his absence comes just one week after McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo had to miss last week’s pre-season test with COVID.

Prior to being taken unwell, the Australian had mixed with drivers ahead of the event for a Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) photoshoot on the Bahrain grid to show their solidarity with Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

F1 has relaxed its COVID protocols for this year, with its previously strict regime of regular mandatory PCR testing having been wound back.

Now, PCR tests are only recommended, and F1 has moved away from the strict bubble system that was in place throughout much of the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

Well, Lando might wrench.
And if Danny Ric can fix a tractor, then that's McLaren sorted.
;-)

Yeah, globe-trotting around the world without isolation/bubbles is still asking for trouble in today's reality. As you say, it only takes one or two key members of a team to cause tremendous headaches.

Wonder what happens when both drivers test positive on the same weekend? Call in Amy from the typing pool to fill the other seat?

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

Well, Lando might wrench.
And if Danny Ric can fix a tractor, then that's McLaren sorted.
;-)

Yeah, globe-trotting around the world without isolation/bubbles is still asking for trouble in today's reality. As you say, it only takes one or two key members of a team to cause tremendous headaches.

Wonder what happens when both drivers test positive on the same weekend? Call in Amy from the typing pool to fill the other seat?

Oh Amy suit up please .........no not the bikini lol

[DLSTR]

Why F1's porpoising headaches won't end just yet
The fight for glory in Formula 1’s season opener this weekend looks almost certain to be influenced by the ongoing issue of porpoising.

By: Jonathan Noble
Mar 18, 2022, 4:52 AM
max-verstappen-red-bull-racing.jpg
What at first seemed to be just an uncomfortable consequence of F1’s switch to ground effect cars when it materialised in testing has turned into a critical area of performance.

Teams have quickly come to realise that the lower they can run their cars without being affected by porpoising, the more downforce they can gain.

And it is finding that sweet spot, between going for performance by running low but not suffering from too bad porpoising, that will be especially critical for teams in their set-up choices for this weekend.

Some outfits have found that right balance and have understood what needs to be done, whereas others like Mercedes are struggling a bit more to get on top of it.

Alpine, for example, was pretty chuffed at the end of last week’s test about how it had explored the set-up boundaries of its car to know what does and doesn’t work.

Sporting director Alan Permane said: “We can switch that on and off now. We know what makes that happen, what stops it.

“But I'm not sure we fully know whether we want it: whether it's quicker in some settings or not quicker and we should live with it. But we did get some settings where Fernando [Alonso] said: 'I wouldn't be able to race like this.'

“I think if you look at other cars, you can see certainly the Ferrari was at some points really bouncing. So we've got a much better handle on that now.”

charles-leclerc-ferrari-f1-75-1.jpg
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

While Ferrari has endured its fair share of bouncing over the two pre-season tests, some of that was induced as an experiment to find out what doesn’t work.

Team principal Mattia Binotto said that even before the first Barcelona test, his team was mindful about the potential for trouble – even though it had not cropped up over the winter.

But part of that reason, as he explained, was that teams’ windtunnels are limited in speed.

“No-one had foreseen it or given it the right importance, so why didn't it show up in the simulations?” explained Binotto.

“In our case the phenomenon occurred when exceeding 250 km/h, and in the windtunnel we are limited by regulation to 180 km/h.

“We had hypothesised something about this phenomenon, and we thought of possible solutions to try something if the problem manifested itself. That is why already on the second day in Barcelona we went for an answer.

“The team was very reactive, in one day they designed, produced and brought to the track a new component. It was possible because basically we had already started to think about what to do in case this problem arose.

“It is not yet a completely solved problem, but for the most part, the solutions brought to Bahrain worked.”

The focus for everyone this weekend will be where the compromise is made: easing the porpoising and reducing the performance, or gunning for performance and leaving the drivers in an uncomfortable spot.

pierre-gasly-alphatauri-at03-l-1.jpg
Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT03, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr admitted it was hard to know which route was best.

“As a driver you suffer the bouncing, but at the same time you know that the lower you go with these cars, the faster you are in the corners, but then the more you suffer on the straights because of the bouncing,” he said.

“So it's a compromise to be found. I'm a strong believer that the bouncing will disappear and shouldn't be there, as it's not normal to see an F1 car jump like that, and we're working on trying to address it.

“Already in Bahrain, testing was a lot better than in Barcelona and we could run the car in a more optimal window. But I think we need to keep working on it, if we need to get rid of it fully.”


But even if teams make good progress in addressing the problem this weekend, it will not mean porpoising is gone for the long term.

Let’s not forget that teams have had three full days of testing in Bahrain to find the right balance between performance and porpoising ahead of this weekend’s race.

Next weekend’s race in Saudi Arabia, where the higher straightline speeds will likely exacerbate the problem, will be a tougher challenge because there is no pre-event testing.

As Sainz said: “I think the tricky bit will be when we go to circuits that we haven't been testing, because I still believe that tarmac and the conditions, the heat, the air pressure, everything affects the aerodynamics, so it affects the bouncing.

“I think the biggest challenge will be Saudi because it's a really high-speed circuit and a new track for all of us with these cars. I think this will be tricky to set up. It will be a bit like everything: you will start little by little, but it will be a challenge for sure.”