2024 F1 News and Prediction League

[pharvey]

Well, with regards to the "Snooze Fest", I suspect stood in the crowd on Race Day could well be somewhat boring as things stand - depending on your vantage point of course. To be at the venue itself would be a hell of an experience and I for one would love to get to Free Practice and Qualifying (and Pit Access) at a few tracks some Day..... The Main Race? Well, my opinions on that are pretty clear I think and to be able to watch how the whole technical and tactical side of things progress, you need to be watching live on the screen with access to all data and race highlights.

As for following teams, drivers and "jumping ship", pretty much Zip changes for me. Ferrari have always had my following and support to a big extent - the name, the cars, their history..... Though have to admit, the "Schumacher Days" dented my support somewhat!!

I've followed LH from the early days at McLaren and obviously his time with Mercedes - I'll stick with all. You support through the good times and the bad IMO. Christ, I'm certainly going through some bad times with regards to Welsh Rugby!!

[PeteC]

We're a few races in now and I'll restate what I said before. Hamilton is the past. Mercedes won't throw him under the bus, but I don't expect at all that they will bend over backwards for him as they did before. Russell and ??? are the future. Pure and simple business decision. I think Russell's car has been performing consistently better than Hamilton's this season so far.

[pharvey]

We're a few races in now and I'll restate what I said before. Hamilton is the past. Mercedes won't throw him under the bus, but I don't expect at all that they will bend over backwards for him as they did before. Russell and ??? are the future. Pure and simple business decision. I think Russell's car has been performing consistently better than Hamilton's this season so far.

Well, no.

Hamilton is certainly suffering, but there's no way that a team like Ferrari would offer him a contract if he "is the past" . Is there? Hell PeteC you're "Jumping Ship" to support them after all... Alonso at 42 and with a couple more years left in him is running rings around many - including his far younger teammate. By your argument, is Alonso still given the better car with Aston Martin knowing his contract is up at the end of the year?
Mercedes and Hamilton are far more professional than obviously some perceive them to be, but hey. Russell is a very, very good driver - so don't just assume he's been given the better car or better support. Sainz is leaving Ferrari at the end of the year, yet his car and performances so far? Could this just be another massive conspiracy? Come on PeteC - games are not played with regards to cars at this level, lives are at risk. Games are however sadly played as they are in all worlds, for political and financial benefit.

I agree youngsters need to come in... BUT - bad things happen with lack of experience. Crashappen got his moniker (at least from me) because he was bloody dangerous in a very fast car (notably RB). The RB car was quicker than Merc for several years, before the petulant twat took the title (illegally). Yes, he's now one of the best on the Grid - but still one I dislike immensely and have little respect for (how much respect does he show others?). Put an "oldie" like Alonso in his car..... Oh, I wonder.

More has to be done for youngsters to come through - and some laws/rules need to change as I've said previously on this thread. Mercedes, Ferrari and even Red BS are doing this - all under 20 and in Merc's case, a 17 year old! All a few years away and for very good reason. Hamilton may be the past, but his reactions, ability and experience are still way up there. I truly hope he sticks around in the sport for the youngsters rather than ponce about with his politics and "fashion"....

[PeteC]

My point was, and stated as such, is that Hamilton is/was the past for MERCEDES, nothing else. They offered him a contract, he accepted, then exercised a clause to get out of it. No clue why Mercedes would have put such a clause in. Let's see where we are at the end of the season.

[pharvey]

My point was, and stated as such, is that Hamilton is/was the past for MERCEDES, nothing else. They offered him a contract, he accepted, then exercised a clause to get out of it. No clue why Mercedes would have put such a clause in. Let's see where we are at the end of the season.

Point taken..

The clause I believe was there because A) LH wanted a longer contract (for vast amounts), i.e. 3 Years which Mercedes weren't willing to give. LH quite rightly fought his corner, but B) Ultimately a 2 year contract was it. Lewis made sure there was a clause if there was to be no improvement in the car. He got things right. Though his bitching for £40+ Million a year for 3 years did pi$$ me off...Especially when there was the arguements over salary caps, spending etc.

Many degrade and disrespect Hamilton saying he only made it whilst McLaren were at the top and when Mercedes dominated. Bollocks is my response - of course he benefited from Mercedes, but how much did they benefit from him? One of the big issues last season was the simple fact that he was not listened to. People continually miss what he offers a team - obviously Ferrari don't! There's trouble at Mercedes, and this lies deeper down IMHO - I hope it gets sorted!!

I've supported him and Alonso for donkey's years and will be sorry to see them go - BUT both are still a class above many on the "Paddock" and have a season or two driving in them yet!!

[pharvey]

Well, with the "Silly-O-Clock" times for UK viewers, I missed the Sprint Race, where remarkably it seems LH came in 2nd - Remarkable, as in Qualifying he just didn't seem to have the right set-up at all. Perhaps he and Mercedes made changes when they didn't need to be made? Red BS and Crashappen powered through yet again (boring isn't it? ).

Grid/Main Race

LH dropped a huge b*ll*ck in Q1, going out and ultimately placing him in P18 on the Grid. Disappointing from the Scuderia (P6 and P7 on the Grid) who I thought were going to be a damn sight closer to Red BS (a predictable Front Row lockout), incredible effort once again from Alonso (P3 on the Grid), Both McLarens looking good (P4/P5 Grid).

As for the Race! The "boredom" (yes ) of Crashappen flying away into the distance in that "Rocket Ship" continues, but the Race was far from boring! Some of the actual racing (excluding Crashappen) Yellow Flags and Safety Cars (both "Actual" and "Virtual") bringing things closer together, giving "Free'ish" Pit Stops to most - however, questions will be asked over how long it took to bring Safety Cars out in the first instance, but why they were out for so long also...

Hamilton certainly benefited, starting on "Softs" simply didn't work as Mercedes wanted, but they took full advantage of the Yellow Flags/Safety Cars and ultimately came from 18th on the Grid to finish in P9 and amongst the points.

Alonso is a class act - took Perez to move into 2nd off the start/Turn 1, but ultimately had to give way to the superior car. He dropped places later on with an error in strategy/tyre selection, but at 43 he's certainly still got it and is still outperforming many on the Grid (P7) and gets the "Fastest Lap" to boot!.

Norris (P2) and McLaren were again right up there - unfortunately for Piastri, damage suffered to the car held him back, though still in the points (P8).

On the negative side of things - have to feel for Ricardo who was forced to retire through no fault of his own (or the team) and similarly team mate Tsunoda who was taken out by Kevin Magnussen the latter being penalised 10 seconds.... Why only 10 seconds when he has caused the accident which has taken Tsunoda out of the race? This rule (amongst others) needs looking at.

An enjoyable race for me, though I'm sure many will only be looking at who won and are switching off to F1 - a pity really.

Main Race Result: -
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HHF/Superbru Prediction League: -

Well, nobody expected (or predicted) Alonso taking the Fastest Lap Everyone went for the "Early Bru Point" and well, Crashappen (obviously )!!

"Dai_L" took the Yellow Cap and was on the phone within minutes to gloat... "Parahandy" still leads the pack. Things are tighter than they have been in past seasons though...
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Next up, the Miami GP over the weekend of May 03-05.

[pharvey]

Rumours are that Mercedes are bringing in certain upgrades for the Miami GP which will make a major difference.... Well, yep, I've heard that somewhere before!! Wolff must be feeling the pressure...

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... y0aII7DqlL

I truly do hope Mercedes will do better in Miami, but I fear they are falling further and further behind. Looking forward to what McLaren will do and if Alonso can upset the odds for AM.

More later....

[pharvey]

The BIG News in F1 - and bad news for Red BS is that probably the best designer in the sport will leave them early next year. There had been lots of rumours that Newey was no longer happy at the team with the infighting and with their Thai owners having a far greater influence after the death of co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz. Nothing has been mentioned about Homer and his fondness for texting, but it seems very likely that the whole situation has not helped things - is Newey the first of many? Teams are also monitoring the situation with Crashappen and there is talk that Mercedes are preparing a "World Record Deal" to try and lure him there.....

Red Bull Have Announced That Adrian Newey is to Leave the Team, With the Esteemed F1 Designer Departing After Almost 20 Years at Milton Keynes.

"Newey joined Red Bull ahead of their second F1 season in 2006 and has been instrumental in the squad’s success over the years, helping to turn the operation from midfield runners and points scorers into Grand Prix winners and world champions.

Indeed, Red Bull have claimed six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles – between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen respectively – with Newey-designed cars to date, and they are currently on course to do the double again in 2024.

However, it has now been confirmed in the build-up to the Miami Grand Prix that Newey will be departing from his Chief Technical Officer role in the first quarter of 2025."

More to follow...

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... xMH6QeeA2P

[pharvey]

Well, back to the US for no doubt another over-the-top weekend of showboating at the Miami GP

It's another Sprint Weekend where strangely enough Red BS are favourites for a 1-2, with the long straight, slow corners, low tyre degradation all favouring the bleeding Rocket Ship That said, hopefully the Scuderia will bounce back, Mercedes upgrades will work well and of course there's McLaren and Aston... There's always hope!!

Remember to make your picks for the HHF/Superbru League before Qualifying on the Saturday (UK Time).

Schedule (Al Times UK): -
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[pharvey]

Finally!! After 110 F1 starts, some cracking performances and several near misses, Land takes top spot - fair play to him!!

The McLaren upgrades certainly worked for the Miami circuit at least, though some self-inflicted damage to Crashappen's Rocket played its part - of course, according to Homer the car was crippled and only the Dutchman could have possibly brought it home in the Top 10 let alone in P2!

It all came together for Norris, successful upgrades, great tactics and an excellent drive. Is there light at the end of the tunnel for the chasing pack? Prior to the race, it was predictably looking like yet another with and quite possibly a 1-2 for Red BS - thankfully not the case!!

Mercedes actually looked good at times and Hamilton had his best finish albeit in 6th - could have been better, but the final stint let both cars down. Some great racing though - Piastri vs Sainz, Alonso battling from 15th to 9th after a pretty dire qualifying..... Far from boring!

Miami GP Results
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As for the HHF/Superbru Prediction League, congrats to Vital Spark on the Yellow Cap! Parahandy still keeps Top Spot PeteC takes the dreaded Wooden Spoon this round and drops 2 places...

HHF/Superbru Table
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Thanks to all for taking part - next up is the home of Ferrari and the Imola GP taking place over the weekend of 17-19 May

[pharvey]

Well, Crashappen and Red BS's Rocket Ship will no doubt be firm favourites, but with McLaren's upgrades and it being the Scuderia's home race, things could well be closer than they have been for some time...

Could well be an interesting weekend!
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[PeteC]

Here is the F1 schedule in Thai time. I'll try to remember to post this with each race, but if I don't you can find the info at: https://f1calendar.com/timezone/Asia-Bangkok

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[pharvey]

Oh I was enjoying things on Friday with Crashappen and Red BS struggling with the set-up and track conditions. Even in FP3 on the Saturday things were not going well, there was always that nagging bloody thought that they would find some escape - and that they did

Leclerc and the Scuderia had been the ones to beat on the Saturday, the McLarens finding the sweet spot on the Saturday - Tsunoda had a hell of a couple of days and it'll be interesting to see what he can do in the Main Race later today. Alonso and Aston Martin however are so far having a weekend to forget. Mercedes are actually moving forward, but are very much still a 4th placed Team....

Only a few hours to go now
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[pharvey]

Well, after all the hope, it was sadly (for me anyway) another win for the dour Dutchman.... He and Red BS however, if not rattled, are not quite as comfortable as they have been - Norris was pushing to the end and finishing just 0.725 sec behind Crashappen. McLaren are certainly finding the speed and Ferrari are clearly also in the picture - early days, but times could well be changing
Mercedes were seemingly in No Man's Land having a race of their own with obviously much work still to do - Aston Martin have gone backwards and it truly was a dire weekend for Alonso, though Stroll did get P9.

Full Results: -
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HHF/Superbru League: -

The way the weekend had gone, there were going to be some different opinions - Dai_L is the big mover taking the Yellow Cap (by some), Parahandy is knocked off top-spot, Vital Spark is replaced at the foot of the table by PeteC and Rucku Moke (non-forum) takes the dreaded Wooden Spoon this week...
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Next up is the Monaco GP taking place over 24-26.05 - good luck to all

[pharvey]

NOTE: All Times Shown UK
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