2024 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 29 FEB - 02 MAR

[Ruslan]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Agree with everything that has been said so far. Like @Ruslan said, F1 is stale. It's not the F1 I fell in love with either. I can't really understand the kind of person who enjoys the predictability of having the same driver winning over and over again seemingly without challenge.

As for my view of the race, I don't think it was all that bad, but the timing wasn't good for me with the race start at midnight. I put my phone down when I physically couldn't keep my eyes open anymore thinking I could listen to it, next thing I knew they were doing the post-race interviews.

It seems that Ferrari and Mercedes still have a few technical issues to resolve before their cars are 100%.

My most radical proposals are that we need to ban wings and ground effects and require the cars to be physically smaller.

Ground effects were brought in to help overtaking, but it made no difference because the wings (and the cars) are still huge.

Actually did anyone hear Martin Brundle's comment during the race? He plainly said "I think these cars are too big and switching to these kinds of engines was a mistake".

Yes, FIA brought in a new (old) problem (solution) to fix the problem caused by wings. This was a backwards way of fixing things. And we ended up with porpoise-ing cars (that should have been no surprise). Did not hear Martin Brundle's comments, but the cars are too big. That is an easy one to fix. I have always been neutral about the engine regulations. We obviously really don't want to go back to NASCAR-like old normally aspirated engines (although a lot of people have recommended this). F1 does need to move forward and electric does appear to be the future.

[Ruslan]

totally agree, I would also add that the rules should not be changed all the time, time allows backmarkers to close the gap, changing them very often, as has been the case in the last 20 years, only goes to the advantage of the team with more resources

Theoretically, this has all be resolved by the budget cap.

[DoubleFart]

totally agree, I would also add that the rules should not be changed all the time, time allows backmarkers to close the gap, changing them very often, as has been the case in the last 20 years, only goes to the advantage of the team with more resources

Theoretically, this has all be resolved by the budget cap.

Better teams will always attract the talent, regardless of the budget cap.

What actually closes the gap is the law of diminishing returns. After 4-5 seasons it becomes impossible to find huge gains, and you only find incremental gains. Copy the team at the top and you might gain a lot (see Aston 2023), but generally it closes up because everybody converges on the best design. Then you see true innovation as people find the little loopholes and changes.

New rules for 2009, then 2014, then 2017, then 2022, and again 2026 means we aren't seeing the closing of the gaps until the last season where everything gets binned at they all start fresh with new concepts that are great, good and crap, making a huge spread.

None of the above is new, and everybody here knows that. F1/FIA doesn't seem to though.

[P. Cornelius Scipio]

totally agree, I would also add that the rules should not be changed all the time, time allows backmarkers to close the gap, changing them very often, as has been the case in the last 20 years, only goes to the advantage of the team with more resources

Theoretically, this has all be resolved by the budget cap.

Better teams will always attract the talent, regardless of the budget cap.

What actually closes the gap is the law of diminishing returns. After 4-5 seasons it becomes impossible to find huge gains, and you only find incremental gains. Copy the team at the top and you might gain a lot (see Aston 2023), but generally it closes up because everybody converges on the best design. Then you see true innovation as people find the little loopholes and changes.

New rules for 2009, then 2014, then 2017, then 2022, and again 2026 means we aren't seeing the closing of the gaps until the last season where everything gets binned at they all start fresh with new concepts that are great, good and crap, making a huge spread.

None of the above is new, and everybody here knows that. F1/FIA doesn't seem to though.

also the bigger teams have better infrastructure and that still hasn't been impacted fully by the budget cap

having said that I believe that clear and simple rules that have a longer life span together with unrestricted testing (and the budget cap) would result in a more even playing field and better racing, especially if they reined in the wings (is there anyone who follows F1 because he likes wings? or are we all here for a screaming engine?)

[White six]

Happy new year balls and everyone

So literally nothing has changed apart from renault are a bit worse. As much as i like max it's not great for the sport

Welcome back stranger. Thought you had been lost on the Yorkshire moors

Dales here balls, richmond. But tbf i could be lost anywhere in northern britain

[Aty]

Mercedes driver George Russell has said that he is unaware of the differences between his car and Lewis Hamilton's during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.

Russell comfortably out-qualified his outgoing team-mate, starting the race up in third while Hamilton could only manage ninth.

That performance was downplayed by seven-time world champion Hamilton stating that he and Russell were on different setups with their cars, with his Mercedes more suitable for race conditions.

I think we heard similar complains in the past with different teammate. Nothing surprising.

[DoubleFart]

So Lewis Hamilton once again gets his setup wrong, and then says it's unfair that a guy with 10 years less experience than him has a better racing setup?

Isn't this the same Lewis Hamilton who spent the whole of 2023 telling the world he knew better than the engineers?

[Everso Biggyballies]

So Lewis Hamilton once again gets his setup wrong, and then says it's unfair that a guy with 10 years less experience than him has a better racing setup?

Isn't this the same Lewis Hamilton who spent the whole of 2023 telling the world he knew better than the engineers?

I read it that his excuse for failing in qualifying was because his set up was with the race performance in mind. So his, by his own claim, his more suitable and race focussed set up was still not able to beat his much less experienced team mate in the race, and who was thanks to Parc Ferme rules, still running a more qualifying focussed set up than Lewis. Interestingly George also had to deal with being told to lift and coast for much of the race to keep his temperatures more sustainable.

[P. Cornelius Scipio]

I think that Hamilton's season is going to be an uphill struggle, there are many minor details in his relationship with the team that can make his life slightly less ideal that it has been in the past, sometimes even unintentional (ie. if they are trying something new with the car, etc). Same for Sainz, I've seen an article on Autosprint that to me looked full of bitterness for the fact the he dared race his own race rather than being Leclerc's butler, they will make his life "less easy" than in the past, as a matter of fact thy already started doing so when they pitted Leclerc first last Sunday despite the fact that Sainz was ahead on track. I'm glad that Sainz had a good first race, he should try to close his negotiations for next year soon because there might not be many more good races for him

[Ruslan]

I think that Hamilton's season is going to be an uphill struggle, there are many minor details in his relationship with the team that can make his life slightly less ideal that it has been in the past, sometimes even unintentional (ie. if they are trying something new with the car, etc). Same for Sainz, I've seen an article on Autosprint that to me looked full of bitterness for the fact the he dared race his own race rather than being Leclerc's butler, they will make his life "less easy" than in the past, as a matter of fact thy already started doing so when they pitted Leclerc first last Sunday despite the fact that Sainz was ahead on track. I'm glad that Sainz had a good first race, he should try to close his negotiations for next year soon because there might not be many more good races for him

Yea, it is weird to have two "lame duck" drivers on major teams at the start of the season, I suspect they will both have a season they would prefer to forget.

[DoubleFart]

I cannot see Lewis and George making it through the year without colliding at some point. I suspect the same if Carlos and Charles, but think Charles is more inclined to move out of the way than either Mercedes driver.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Happy new year balls and everyone

So literally nothing has changed apart from renault are a bit worse. As much as i like max it's not great for the sport

Welcome back stranger. Thought you had been lost on the Yorkshire moors

Dales here balls, richmond. But tbf i could be lost anywhere in northern britain

I was born in Harrogate so not quite Dales or Moors.

[White six]

Happy new year balls and everyone

So literally nothing has changed apart from renault are a bit worse. As much as i like max it's not great for the sport

Welcome back stranger. Thought you had been lost on the Yorkshire moors

Dales here balls, richmond. But tbf i could be lost anywhere in northern britain

I was born in Harrogate so not quite Dales or Moors.

Posh!! Although i always remember a barratt homes advert from 1977, and newbuilds in harrogate were about £7k, cheaper than teesside (due to the industry)
Wish I'd bought one (aged 6)

[Everso Biggyballies]

Happy new year balls and everyone

So literally nothing has changed apart from renault are a bit worse. As much as i like max it's not great for the sport

Welcome back stranger. Thought you had been lost on the Yorkshire moors

Dales here balls, richmond. But tbf i could be lost anywhere in northern britain

I was born in Harrogate so not quite Dales or Moors.

Posh!! Although i always remember a barratt homes advert from 1977, and newbuilds in harrogate were about £7k, cheaper than teesside (due to the industry)
Wish I'd bought one (aged 6)

I was born in Harrogate but never lived there long term. Dad worked in Africa so Mum and Dad were home in UK on leave for my birth. They were staying with friends, in Harrogate, so passing through! . We were back in Africa before too long. My Mum tells me that between Harrogate and going back to Africa we spent some time with Dads sister in Bristol. Long enough to get taken to Castle Combe which was close to her house to watch the BRM V16 race. (Dad was a huge BRM fan). Mum blames that on my love of motor racing. the noisier the cars the happier I was. I started crying when the racing was over.