2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Jeddah, March 25 - 27

[silver]

Too early in the season to call out the favorite for these opening races. May be Red Bull haven't got it all together and if they do, they would be ahead. May be they both are an equal match. May be Ferrari is quite far ahead and F1-75 is the new W05, with Ferrari PU having over 50hp advantage on competition! Difficult to predict a clear picture for now. After 4 or 5 races, the picture could be a little clear and from then on, it's a development race.

[Bill_Kar]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red- ... m/9277226/

Although no further details have been forthcoming about what exactly went wrong inside the Red Bull fuel system, it is understood that the team is satisfied it has got to the bottom of the problem and has put in place fixes to prevent a repeat from this weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP.

I hope this is true.

[07Patches]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red- ... m/9277226/

Although no further details have been forthcoming about what exactly went wrong inside the Red Bull fuel system, it is understood that the team is satisfied it has got to the bottom of the problem and has put in place fixes to prevent a repeat from this weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP.

I hope this is true.

Apparently there was a vacuum formed somewhere stopping the pump from getting fuel through, if true, that can't be a difficult fix, can it?

[Stu]

So they didn’t underfill it then?

[wogx]

Do you really think that a multiple WDC & WCC team would made such a rookie mistake? If yes - why would they go for a double DNF, if they could instead at least try to drive in an "eco-mode" and finish 7th, 8th, 10th? At the end of season every point will count in both WDC & WCC classifications. I won't even mention the SC period here

[SiLo]

Might have been from cavitation then causing bubbles in the fuel and having the pump sucking air instead of fluid.

[dialtone]

Brembo considers this track to be hard on the brakes due to the 7 high speed braking areas and the likely constant on/off to regulate speed. Any car with brake temp problems is going to suffer here. So McLaren is definitely in for some suffering if they haven't figured out their braking issues, and maybe even RB-18 could suffer depending on the reasons why they had to chill brakes so early in Bahrain.

[Hoffman900]

Brembo considers this track to be hard on the brakes due to the 7 high speed braking areas and the likely constant on/off to regulate speed. Any car with brake temp problems is going to suffer here. So McLaren is definitely in for some suffering if they haven't figured out their braking issues, and maybe even RB-18 could suffer depending on the reasons why they had to chill brakes so early in Bahrain.

I find it frustrating that the premier Formula car series has to nurse its brakes like it’s the 1960s.

[LM10]

Brembo considers this track to be hard on the brakes due to the 7 high speed braking areas and the likely constant on/off to regulate speed. Any car with brake temp problems is going to suffer here. So McLaren is definitely in for some suffering if they haven't figured out their braking issues, and maybe even RB-18 could suffer depending on the reasons why they had to chill brakes so early in Bahrain.

I find it frustrating that the premier Formula car series has to nurse its brakes like it’s the 1960s.

It's a question of going to the limits and compromises, isn't it?

[Hoffman900]

Brembo considers this track to be hard on the brakes due to the 7 high speed braking areas and the likely constant on/off to regulate speed. Any car with brake temp problems is going to suffer here. So McLaren is definitely in for some suffering if they haven't figured out their braking issues, and maybe even RB-18 could suffer depending on the reasons why they had to chill brakes so early in Bahrain.

I find it frustrating that the premier Formula car series has to nurse its brakes like it’s the 1960s.

It's a question of going to the limits and compromises, isn't it?

It is, but you can’t have better racing if drivers only get a few attempts at out braking a competitor. It seems like a classic not seeing the forest for the trees from the rules makers.

Brakes haven't been the limiting factor in decades and they shouldn’t be in 2022.

[search]

I think if Ferrari had to pick a banker track it would be this or monza. Really cannot see them under serious pressure from anyone

I agree that overall they should be the favourite, but we also need to remember that Bahrain has traditionally been a good track for Ferrari, and it's also one where Leclerc can play out his strengths particularly well - which is not so much the case for a flowing track like Jeddah.

[Bill_Kar]

So they didn’t underfill it then?

I never believed that, I don't know who started this narrative but surely it was from non-experts.

[oT v1]

Longer braking zones/more time braking allows for more passing, like bike racing with their braking power. Could be a positive…maybe

[BassVirolla]

I find it frustrating that the premier Formula car series has to nurse its brakes like it’s the 1960s.

It's a question of going to the limits and compromises, isn't it?

It is, but you can’t have better racing if drivers only get a few attempts at out braking a competitor. It seems like a classic not seeing the forest for the trees from the rules makers.

Brakes haven't been the limiting factor in decades and they shouldn’t be in 2022.

I see it more like some compromise made by the teams, and not a rules matter.

The cars until 2021 were using huge amounts of air to blow through the wheels to achieve outwash, and a by-product was cooling the brakes.

Now the outwash through the wheels is not allowed, teams are "choking" their cooling requirements in the brakes, as it is detrimental for aero and not beneficial.

[Just_a_fan]

Do you really think that a multiple WDC & WCC team would made such a rookie mistake? If yes - why would they go for a double DNF, if they could instead at least try to drive in an "eco-mode" and finish 7th, 8th, 10th? At the end of season every point will count in both WDC & WCC classifications. I won't even mention the SC period here

Wouldn't be the first time a team messed up a fuel loading.