2020 Spanish Grand Prix - Catalunya, August 14 - 16

[JPBD1990]

I disliked Nico Rosberg as a driver, but he was incredible on Sky’s coverage tonight. So many cool insights into modern F1. Very much loved that. They should get him in and do away with Davidson already

[Sieper]

23.0 zero for front ad 20.5 for rear. Front is 0.5 higher then last year.

To prevent front tire sidewall tread rupture as with Merc Silverstone 1.

[Big Tea]

Still this would prevent from tricks like increased fuel flow or ignition timing tricks.

Why do you keep calling it tricks, your average road card does this now. I haven't had the mess with a timing gun in like 25 years!

Exactly. The modern engine map has fuelling and ignition timing and, along with knock sensors, allows the engine to ensure it doesn't detonate.

One wonders if the FIA's idea also prevents the engine from self-monitoring and turning down the settings to protect itself. If so, the teams could set a map that was maximum for a handful of laps before the engine "protects" itself with a less extreme map for the race. I can see that sort of thing being attempted.

A few years back I had a classic Velocette motorcycle. It had levers on the handlebar for Air, ign advance, valve lifter etc. For the first few rides it was confusing, but it soon became second nature. If the drivers have to do it they will.
In short order it will be as automatic to them as dif, ballance etc and not a big thing

[Just_a_fan]

I disliked Nico Rosberg as a driver, but he was incredible on Sky’s coverage tonight. So many cool insights into modern F1. Very much loved that. They should get him in and do away with Davidson already

Agreed. I wasn't a fan of his and I'm still not really but he brings a much better technical input than the likes of Di Resta, simply by virtue of having done it more recently and to a much higher level.

The little snippet about Hamilton running much more forward bias on the brakes and Bottas trying to practise that on the simulator, and how that won't work, is the sort of thing that you don't get from the others.

[Just_a_fan]

A few years back I had a classic Velocette motorcycle. It had levers on the handlebar for Air, ign advance, valve lifter etc. For the first few rides it was confusing, but it soon became second nature. If the drivers have to do it they will.
In short order it will be as automatic to them as dif, ballance etc and not a big thing

Are you seriously suggesting that the drivers of F1 cars should be changing ignition advance and the like as they drive? Seriously?

Future F1 wheels:

[Big Tea]

A few years back I had a classic Velocette motorcycle. It had levers on the handlebar for Air, ign advance, valve lifter etc. For the first few rides it was confusing, but it soon became second nature. If the drivers have to do it they will.
In short order it will be as automatic to them as dif, ballance etc and not a big thing

Are you seriously suggesting that the drivers of F1 cars should be changing ignition advance and the like as they drive? Seriously?

Future F1 wheels:

https://simanaitissays.files.wordpress. ... twheel.jpg

It would not be like the pic, but yes, if needed they could do it with little problem. it is not a constant adjustment as it would be in that car, just as required. maybe not even once a lap. Obviously it would be better with one switch, but if it is 3 switches or nothing, they will manage. They already have more controls than an airline of not so long back and manage ok (not saying I could, but I am not a F1 driver) Oh and without the oil pump in the middle

Edit for clarity- That is COULD not SHOULD.

[GPR-A]

A few years back I had a classic Velocette motorcycle. It had levers on the handlebar for Air, ign advance, valve lifter etc. For the first few rides it was confusing, but it soon became second nature. If the drivers have to do it they will.
In short order it will be as automatic to them as dif, ballance etc and not a big thing

Are you seriously suggesting that the drivers of F1 cars should be changing ignition advance and the like as they drive? Seriously?

Future F1 wheels:

https://simanaitissays.files.wordpress. ... twheel.jpg

It would not be like the pic, but yes, if needed they could do it with little problem. it is not a constant adjustment as it would be in that car, just as required. maybe not even once a lap. Obviously it would be better with one switch, but if it is 3 switches or nothing, they will manage. They already have more controls than an airline of not so long back and manage ok (not saying I could, but I am not a F1 driver) Oh and without the oil pump in the middle

While we are on it, I predict the future of F1 helmets. Reason being, FIA is slowing the cars down. After the quali mode removal and one mode only, if the field doesn't bunch, they would bring down the maximum power an engine can generate at that mode should be around 600 BHP (for the reliability, power normalization and of course, cost cap on drivers' salaries and how much they can spend on their helmets). Let's watch classic future racing, shall we? It would also offer some of world's finest automobile manufacturers from Brazil, India and Indonesia, whom we still don't know, to participate.

[Big Tea]

Are you seriously suggesting that the drivers of F1 cars should be changing ignition advance and the like as they drive? Seriously?

Future F1 wheels:

https://simanaitissays.files.wordpress. ... twheel.jpg

It would not be like the pic, but yes, if needed they could do it with little problem. it is not a constant adjustment as it would be in that car, just as required. maybe not even once a lap. Obviously it would be better with one switch, but if it is 3 switches or nothing, they will manage. They already have more controls than an airline of not so long back and manage ok (not saying I could, but I am not a F1 driver) Oh and without the oil pump in the middle

While we are on it, I predict the future of F1 helmets. Reason being, FIA is slowing the cars down. After the quali mode removal and one mode only, if the field doesn't bunch, they would bring down the maximum power an engine can generate at that mode should be around 600 BHP (for the reliability, power normalization and of course, cost cap on drivers' salaries and how much they can spend on their helmets). Let's watch classic future racing, shall we?

https://media-cdn.mclaren.com/media/ima ... cLaren.jpg

Do they really need helmets? People want to see the driver these days. Mind, the smile looks bad if the teeth are full of dead flys.

[atanatizante]

VER was impressive today in FP2 on the long runs and this statement was backed by himself on the pen and Horner on SkyF1!

Not only he matched HAM times either on soft or mediums but most important is his consistency over the entire stint ...
On the medium tyres, he was even better than HAM, which seems to have a cool lap now and then in order to not overheat the overstressed front left here on this track ...

Pe used the hard tyre just for 11 laps (5 on the first set and 5 + 1 on the second one) just in FP1 hence he/RBR wouldn`t count them in the race or qualy and the reason is quite simple: they are too hard for this track (look what BOT said about them and his off from FP2 race sims)

Now delta time between soft and medium tyres is around 5 tenths so based on Merc 8 tenths advantage in qualy over the RBR it seems to me that only HAM&BOT could qualify on medium in Q2 ... VER could try it but don`t think he`ll struck the luck again twice

For the race, it`ll be for almost everybody an obvious two-stop S-M-M/S strategy and maybe MERC/RBB (except ALB) will go for a M-S/M- S/M depending on safety cars and other situation will occur ...

[holeindalip]

Anybody know if there is a minimal tyre pressure this weekend

I know they gave you an answer already but it’s listed on the first page and hopefully they start adding it to the op....

[godlameroso]

The tyre load is also less at Barcelona, think it's only turn 7 and 9 where there is a real stress on the tyre from a load perspective. The rest are slower than a lot of the corners at Silverstone.

Actually Catalunya is harder on rears. <- exactly where the Mercs had the problem in Silverstone. And seeing the tyre pressures they've gone up from last year.

https://twitter.com/SomersF1/status/129 ... 54304?s=20

So, for the Merc fans, I wouldn't recommend they feel they're out of the woods just yet. Contrary, I believe they'll be in similar or worse shape than in Silverstone.

But what do I know?

They had problems with rears at Silverstone as they tried to protect the front lefts as much as possible and leant more on the rears as a result.

In Barca, the fronts aren’t as solicited outside of T3 and T9, so there will be less of a need to protect them meaning they can focus on protecting the rears for S3.

12 and 13 too. Slow corners but they ask a lot of the tires.

[siskue2005]

It would not be like the pic, but yes, if needed they could do it with little problem. it is not a constant adjustment as it would be in that car, just as required. maybe not even once a lap. Obviously it would be better with one switch, but if it is 3 switches or nothing, they will manage. They already have more controls than an airline of not so long back and manage ok (not saying I could, but I am not a F1 driver) Oh and without the oil pump in the middle

While we are on it, I predict the future of F1 helmets. Reason being, FIA is slowing the cars down. After the quali mode removal and one mode only, if the field doesn't bunch, they would bring down the maximum power an engine can generate at that mode should be around 600 BHP (for the reliability, power normalization and of course, cost cap on drivers' salaries and how much they can spend on their helmets). Let's watch classic future racing, shall we?

https://media-cdn.mclaren.com/media/ima ... cLaren.jpg

Do they really need helmets? People want to see the driver these days. Mind, the smile looks bad if the teeth are full of dead flys.

[godlameroso]

VER was impressive today in FP2 on the long runs and this statement was backed by himself on the pen and Horner on SkyF1!

Not only he matched HAM times either on soft or mediums but most important is his consistency over the entire stint ...
On the medium tyres, he was even better than HAM, which seems to have a cool lap now and then in order to not overheat the overstressed front left here on this track ...

Pe used the hard tyre just for 11 laps (5 on the first set and 5 + 1 on the second one) just in FP1 hence he/RBR wouldn`t count them in the race or qualy and the reason is quite simple: they are too hard for this track (look what BOT said about them and his off from FP2 race sims)

Now delta time between soft and medium tyres is around 5 tenths so based on Merc 8 tenths advantage in qualy over the RBR it seems to me that only HAM&BOT could qualify on medium in Q2 ... VER could try it but don`t think he`ll struck the luck again twice

For the race, it`ll be for almost everybody an obvious two-stop S-M-M/S strategy and maybe MERC/RBB (except ALB) will go for a M-S/M- S/M depending on safety cars and other situation will occur ...

The hard tire can do the entire race distance if they avoid graining. It may be a good race tire to try a 1 stopper.

You lose 24 seconds on a pit stop and a 2 stop on a 66 lap race means 20-24 lap stints. If the mediums are less than a second faster than the hards, then the hards will do the one stop just fine.

[Dazed1]

It would not be like the pic, but yes, if needed they could do it with little problem. it is not a constant adjustment as it would be in that car, just as required. maybe not even once a lap. Obviously it would be better with one switch, but if it is 3 switches or nothing, they will manage. They already have more controls than an airline of not so long back and manage ok (not saying I could, but I am not a F1 driver) Oh and without the oil pump in the middle

While we are on it, I predict the future of F1 helmets. Reason being, FIA is slowing the cars down. After the quali mode removal and one mode only, if the field doesn't bunch, they would bring down the maximum power an engine can generate at that mode should be around 600 BHP (for the reliability, power normalization and of course, cost cap on drivers' salaries and how much they can spend on their helmets). Let's watch classic future racing, shall we?

https://media-cdn.mclaren.com/media/ima ... cLaren.jpg

Do they really need helmets? People want to see the driver these days. Mind, the smile looks bad if the teeth are full of dead flys.

"God, I love the smell of sarcasm in the morning!"

[Hoffman900]

If the FIA wanted to make the races more exciting, they would ban car to pit telemetry. Lots of series do this and it puts the strategies more in the hands of the driver and makes the strategists do more guess work, which induces higher chances of human error.

A lot of the time, the drivers are just robots hitting time targets at the behest of the strategists. Excitement does happen when humans, who are unpredictable, have more input into the decision making. The less involved (ie: not a team of engineers), the more an individuals decision is weighted and has the tendency to be more error prone as there are no checks.

It also might mean the driver age might tick up a hair as it would put more reward on the driver’s experience.