Batgirl
Director
Posts: 1,011
Online Status:
|
Post by Batgirl on Mar 5, 2020 11:23:43 GMT
I am not going to the Melbourne F1 race weekend this year. I've been enjoying series 2 of the Netflix Drive to Survive that followed some drivers and team principals during the 2019 season. I am surprised that some teams don't get a lot of coverage in this season but I suppose they decided to concentrate on particular drivers.
|
|
Del Boy
Moderator
Posts: 9,895
Online Status:
|
Post by Del Boy on Mar 8, 2020 23:03:43 GMT
Thanks for the heads up on this series Batgirl. I'll take a look at that.
The new season is nearly upon us happy days.
|
|
|
Post by Steve Austin on Mar 8, 2020 23:14:43 GMT
Yes, thanks Batgirl, I’ve been watching this thanks to your post and have found it very entertaining
|
|
|
Post by Dirty Epic on Mar 11, 2020 8:17:41 GMT
Nice one for the links BG, I’ll try and check those doc’s out. Well we’re nearly at that time of year when the F1 season – Coronavirus depending, is back with us again with the usual opener in Melbourne. The form from pre-season testing seems to suggest Mercedes have the upper hand with the DAS and they were very bullish with this form in testing. Considering this will Mercedes be the form/top team and Lewis Hamilton equals and beats Michael Schumacher’s WDC and win records? Will Red Bull rather Ferrari be Mercedes main challengers and can Max Verstappen stop Hamilton this season? Are Ferrari as far behind as testing suggests, will Vettel bounce back and what about the rise of Leclerc in the inter-team battle too? Who will win the battle for midfield? Racing Point have been impressive with perhaps a Mercedes clone car, McLaren had a good 2019 but will leaving Renault next season hamper them this year? What about AlphaTauri (Toro Rosso), Haas, Alfa Romeo and Williams too?
As I've seen in some pre-season interviews/soundbites Renault will be the most interesting to watch. They didn't really have a good season in 2019 and with two top drivers - Ricciardo and Ocon, they have no excuses this year to be knocking on the door of the so-called Top 3. No real excuses this year for me they have to be there/thereabouts when the big boys slip up and try and get into podium win slots with the set up and driving talent they have... if not can see Renault (again) pulling the plug on F1 sadly. Considering the midfield it’s make or break for Haas and Williams, Haas on the face of it have experienced half-decent drivers, a decent team set-up, Ferrari links and should really be delivering consistent points race in race out but for some reason they’ve had hit and miss seasons recently. Grosjean too needs to deliver, not all of it his fault but there are equally as good drivers forced out of the F1 picture who’ve not had the luxuries Romain has had. Williams can only get better from a dire 2019 but not all of this is down to issues with budget’s, revenue and Claire Williams moaning they’re not being treated favourably within F1. They’ve been a successful team over the years, have Mercedes power other teams would die for, a good young talent in George Russell and up until 2017 were in a good/decent midfield position so something isn’t quite right with the running of Williams IMHO. Hopefully they can bounce back but a lot of it will be down to them knuckling down and taking the fight to the other midfield teams. If not can see it as game over for Williams I'm afraid. All will be revealed when they hit the grid at Albert Park. I’d love this season to be a closer battle with perhaps a few shocks along the way and lets hope Mercedes don’t have everything their own way too. Yes I reckon Lewis will achieve those records this year and as likely if he does he fully deserves them for the way he’s progressed over the years. You could argue luck, best car etc. have helped Hamilton yet he’s seen off the challenges of experienced WDC’s over the years and no one past and present has been a complete overall package to achieve as much as Lewis has since 2007, as good as Vettel has been and Verstappen, Leclerc etc. may be I can’t see them getting near Schumi’s records let alone beating them. Here’s to a great 2020 – let’s just hope the issues and hysteria with Covid-19 doesn’t disrupt F1 too much.
|
|
Batgirl
Director
Posts: 1,011
Online Status:
|
Post by Batgirl on Mar 11, 2020 13:10:37 GMT
Great pre season report Dirty Epic. Luckily Ferrari and Alpha Romeo teams got into Australia before the government stopped incoming Italian flights ! It seems that the race days will go ahead here thankfully with an audience, though that is all everyone is talking about here, whether the race will be go ahead with the fans.
Renault did not have their usual media launch of the car with drivers today because of wanting to avoid any health problems. Though when you think about it they are more at risk hanging with the hundreds of team members who flew in from all around the world, rather than the Australian public.
|
|
Batgirl
Director
Posts: 1,011
Online Status:
|
Post by Batgirl on Mar 11, 2020 13:26:26 GMT
Current news - "Four days out from the Australian Grand Prix, three F1 team members have been placed into isolation over concerns they may have contracted coronavirus. One member from McLaren and two from Haas were evaluated at the Albert Park circuit’s isolation unit after showing fever symptoms on Wednesday. The trio has been tested for the virus and placed under self-isolation at their hotels in Melbourne.
“Personnel were showing some symptoms so they got themselves checked out and have put themselves into self-isolation, as they should, while they await results,” a Haas team official told AFP."
|
|
B16YUG
AWOL
Posts: 231
Online Status:
|
Post by B16YUG on Mar 11, 2020 14:29:50 GMT
I'm excited for the start of the new season - but clearly the virus challenges are going to put a dampener on proceedings - See that fan/driver sessions have been cancelled in Melbourne for this weekend. - For me the closeness to the drivers in this way adds to the enjoyment of the weekend.
I had hoped to get to a few more foreign GP's this year - I hope health events don't impact the tickets I have already bought.
Interesting to read this afternoon that RedBull have formerly lodged some complaints to the FIA about the Merc - something to do with rear brake ducts and something relating to DAS.
|
|
Batgirl
Director
Posts: 1,011
Online Status:
|
Post by Batgirl on Mar 12, 2020 5:48:23 GMT
Nice visit by Lewis Hamilton this week at WIRES visiting animals recovering from the fires.
|
|
Batgirl
Director
Posts: 1,011
Online Status:
|
Post by Batgirl on Mar 12, 2020 12:57:11 GMT
The teams that have staff in isolation in Melbourne are McLaren and Haas. One of McLaren's staff has tested positive and Zac Brown made the decision and statement just issued - “McLaren Racing has confirmed this evening in Melbourne that it has withdrawn from the 2020 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, following the positive test of a team member for the coronavirus. The team member was tested and self-isolated as soon as they started to show symptoms and will now be treated by local healthcare authorities." The team has prepared for this eventuality and has ongoing support in place for its employee who will now enter a period of quarantine. The team is cooperating with the relevant local authorities to assist their investigations and analysis. Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, and Andreas Seidl, Team Principal of McLaren F1, informed Formula 1 and the FIA of the decision this evening. The decision has been taken based on a duty of care not only to McLaren F1 employees and partners, but also to the team’s competitors, Formula 1 fans and wider F1 stakeholders." www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.mclaren-withdraw-from-the-australian-grand-prix-after-a-team-member-tests.1SdS7APKH9kjZRrrJ1RFJ3.htmlJust waiting for the next announcement.
|
|
|
Post by Gene Hunt on Mar 12, 2020 20:45:50 GMT
Breaking news: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX WILL NOT GO AHEAD.It's believed that a number of the teams decided against racing after a meeting on Thursday evening. SKY F1 Report
|
|