2024 Pre-Season Testing - Bahrain International Circuit, Feb 21 - 23

[vanburin]

I wonder if the Merc rear suspension isn't very good, I remember Fallows giving a comment at launch about being forced to use it and Williams interesting opted to use last years suspension over the new Merc one. The Merc and Aston rear end is very similar in parts, and both teams haven't looked great yet.

Likely has more to do with Williams utilizing last years gearbox/powertrain, and focusing attention/budget elsewhere. Could also be a manufacturing reason on Merc's end.

[cplchanb]

Is too early but, another F1-RB championship with no competitors?

well thats what you get with no BoP in a budget capped stable rules state. the team that is ahead will always stay ahead unless they screw it up. they need to introduce some form of success ballast or some other BoP in order to reign them in. not to mention Newey had a 15 year head start on modern ground effects for F1 cars a la RB X2010.

[dren]

I wonder if the Merc rear suspension isn't very good, I remember Fallows giving a comment at launch about being forced to use it and Williams interesting opted to use last years suspension over the new Merc one. The Merc and Aston rear end is very similar in parts, and both teams haven't looked great yet.

Likely has more to do with Williams utilizing last years gearbox/powertrain, and focusing attention/budget elsewhere. Could also be a manufacturing reason on Merc's end.

I read that Mercedes couldn't support two customer teams and itself with the new box, so Williams got the shaft.

[Fede90]

It's 2023 2 basically.
Same teams, same driver lineups, same regulations.

Probably the least exciting season buildup I've seen in 21 years of watching the sport.

I can't event think to another boring year like the last one.

"It's no more of a competition than there's a competition
between men and maggots...
or dragons and wolves...
or men riding dragons,
throwing wolves at maggots."

[half-quote]

[CouncilorIrissa]

Is too early but, another F1-RB championship with no competitors?

well thats what you get with no BoP in a budget capped stable rules state. the team that is ahead will always stay ahead unless they screw it up. they need to introduce some form of success ballast or some other BoP in order to reign them in. not to mention Newey had a 15 year head start on modern ground effects for F1 cars a la RB X2010.

It would be at least somewhat bearable with PU development, but it's frozen.

[TFSA]

I really really don't understand why some people are surprised. The (false) narratives pushed last season (i.e. RB 19 not dominant, stable regulation = convergence in performance, look at Perez struggling to finish P2 and other bullshit) worked well i suppose

Nothing false about that narrative once you realize Red Bull is an outlier. They simply did a much better job than everyone else. Meanwhile you have 9 other teams which definitely did converge in performance.

Looking at it from another angle, it's not really a surprise, with F1 going back to ground-effect regulations. It was very obvious to me that it would take most teams some time to fully understand a physics element which hasn't been in active use since the 80s.

The problem i see is the 2026 regulations with active aero is gonna be similar, in that it will take some teams years to understand it, while a few teams might nail it from the start.

[Xyz22]

It's 2023 2 basically.
Same teams, same driver lineups, same regulations.

Probably the least exciting season buildup I've seen in 21 years of watching the sport.

I can't event think to another boring year like the last one.

"It's no more of a competition than there's a competition
between men and maggots...
or dragons and wolves...
or men riding dragons,
throwing wolves at maggots."

[half-quote]

And there is still 2025 in which there won't be any upgrades for the 2025 cars as everyone will be fully focused on 2026

48 races in total + sprints

[DGP123]

It's 2023 2 basically.
Same teams, same driver lineups, same regulations.

Probably the least exciting season buildup I've seen in 21 years of watching the sport.

Yep. It’s a shocker.

As usual with F1, the off track news & politics, is far more interesting than on track action. Nothing different this year, with the Hamilton/Horner stuff.

Roll on, 26’.

[Fede90]

It's 2023 2 basically.
Same teams, same driver lineups, same regulations.

Probably the least exciting season buildup I've seen in 21 years of watching the sport.

I can't event think to another boring year like the last one.

"It's no more of a competition than there's a competition
between men and maggots...
or dragons and wolves...
or men riding dragons,
throwing wolves at maggots."

[half-quote]

And there is still 2025 in which there won't be any upgrades for the 2025 cars as everyone will be fully focused on 2026

48 races in total + sprints

I’m feeling bad…

[mendis]

Mods, we need another thread to discuss on "how boring 2024 season is and why".

[CouncilorIrissa]

It's 2023 2 basically.
Same teams, same driver lineups, same regulations.

Probably the least exciting season buildup I've seen in 21 years of watching the sport.

Yep. It’s a shocker.

As usual with F1, the off track news & politics, is far more interesting than on track action. Nothing different this year, with the Hamilton/Horner stuff.

Roll on, 26’.

I mean, we had 2 teams win everything since 2009 (coincidentally since the ban on testing). An all-time low. It's never been worse.

[FittingMechanics]

Is too early but, another F1-RB championship with no competitors?

well thats what you get with no BoP in a budget capped stable rules state. the team that is ahead will always stay ahead unless they screw it up. they need to introduce some form of success ballast or some other BoP in order to reign them in. not to mention Newey had a 15 year head start on modern ground effects for F1 cars a la RB X2010.

There is "success ballast". It's called CFD and wind tunnel time restrictions.

Maybe we could do more of it, especially if a team is dominant year after year but it is built into the system.

[Fede90]

I hope F1 will do something to fix this situation or they could kill this sport before the 2026

[CouncilorIrissa]

Sainz is doing consistent high 37s.

[DChemTech]

It's 2023 2 basically.
Same teams, same driver lineups, same regulations.

Probably the least exciting season buildup I've seen in 21 years of watching the sport.

I can't event think to another boring year like the last one.

"It's no more of a competition than there's a competition
between men and maggots...
or dragons and wolves...
or men riding dragons,
throwing wolves at maggots."

[half-quote]

I guess that just depends on who you support. Several of the MB-dominated years were as boring/more boring to me; in those years, even the qualifying outcome was guaranteed, and last year that was certainly not the case - as was the fight for P2.