FORMULA 1

[avaldes]

I would be extremely surprised to see anyone unseat Mercedes this year. I suspect most of the teams are putting the majority of their design effort into 2021. So with this years cars being an evolution of last year (with the exception of Racing Point), My guess is the results will look very similar to last year. I do expect Haas and Renault to be stronger. I expect McLaren to continue improving. Torro Rosso, Alpha and Williams could be anywhere. I sure hope Williams can get it together.

As for Lance Stroll, I would love to see him get the boot so someone else can get a drive. Hulkenberg would be leaps an bounds better than Stroll.

[rckymtn22]

Ferrari or AlphaTauri better hope they don't have a big shunt in any of the first 3 races as they might have a hard time getting parts and/or manpower into and out of Italy.

[dcbuss]

I’d love to see stroll get the boot too, and I don’t think his performances will warrant a seat.  But.....here’s where the drama will play out IMO.  All season.  I mean, his dad is an owner of Aston Martin, buuuuut they’re coming back next year, and I just don’t see him headlining the marketing for the F1 team.  Buuuut, who signs up to play nanny, to an average driver at best, and stand beside dad for the adverts, and media forums?

[MIKA27]

I am looking forward to the season, shame I'm missing the F1 here in Melbourne for the first time ever, but the risk with Corona is not worth taking.

I hope Renault, HAAS do well in the midfield, perhaps a surprise podium too?

Stroll will never get the boot whilst daddy is at the helm of the team.... sadly. 

[MIKA27]

Gallery: Australian GP preparations well underway ahead of first 2020 race

The Australian Grand Prix is pressing ahead despite fears over the coronavirus. Preparations for the race are well underway as teams start to arrive and unpack their equipment, build their garages and start building their cars ahead of this weekend’s action.

[MIKA27]

McLaren urges FIA to clarify team relationships for 2021

McLaren boss Andreas Seidl says the FIA must heavily police the nature of relationships between teams into 2021, to ensure no unfair advantage is gained.

Several Formula 1 teams have alliances with a rival, acquiring components, such as engines, suspension parts and gearboxes.

AlphaTauri has a close partnership with sister team Red Bull, Haas sources parts from Ferrari, while Racing Point utilises components from Mercedes.

Racing Point’s RP20 captured the attention during pre-season testing due to its likeness to last year’s title-winning Mercedes W10.

McLaren uses Renault customer engines, and will switch to Mercedes from 2021, but constructs the majority of its other components.

Seidl stressed that “we assume that the co-operation that is there between Racing Point and Mercedes is within the regulations, so there’s no point to complain”, but wants assurances that no-one can gain an unfair advantage in 2021.

“It’s more important for us to look at what’s happening for 21 regulations and beyond,” said Seidl, on Racing Point’s 2020 car design.

“I think there it’s even more clear or restricted what is allowed in terms of a working relationship between two teams.

“The FIA needs to make sure they are on top of this game, that the co-operation between two teams is first of all always within the regulations, and doesn’t allow the big team for example to benefit from things that are happening at a smaller team related to these so-called listed parts.

“We all know these examples which are around also in the press, like people rotating between teams or the coffee machine talks you have between two different teams talking about concepts and so on.

“This is something that we are worried about and that is our focus on the discussions we have with the FIA to make sure this is properly policed as that would obviously go against the regulations.

“It would help, let’s say an, A-team, having a co-operation to go around the regulations to increase their resources beyond the idea of the budget cap and that is the biggest worry for us to be honest.”

[MIKA27]

Saudi Arabia’s Aramco agrees ‘long-term’ F1 sponsor deal

Formula 1 has announced a ‘long-term’ global sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant, Saudi Aramco.

Saudi Aramco is the world’s most valuable company following a recent stock market listing of just 1.5 per cent of the company. which valued it almost $2 trillion, and one of the most valuable in terms of profits which exceeded $110bn in 2019.

As part of the sponsor deal, Saudi Aramco joins F1’s global partner’s DHL, Emirates, Heineken, Pirelli and Rolex.

Saudi Aramco will become the title sponsor of the US, Spanish and Hungarian Grands Prix in 2020 .

It will also work with F1 on developing sustainable fuels, enhanced engine efficiencies and emerging mobility technology in a bid to accelerate the sport’s sustainability plan.

“We are delighted to welcome Aramco to the Formula 1 family as a long-term Global Partner as we start our 2020 season,” said Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey.

“We are looking forward to sharing our combined expertise and working with Aramco on technological innovation and we will benefit hugely from its capabilities and expertise in the fuel and energy sector.”

The deal is expected to be part of a wider expansion into Saudi Arabia which recently announced plans to host a round of the F1 Championship at a newly constructed purpose-built circuit in a new entertainment and business development outside of the capital city, Riyadh.

Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser added: “We are excited to partner with Formula 1, a strong global sports brand with millions of fans around the world. As the world’s largest energy supplier and an innovation leader, we have the ambition to find game-changing solutions for better-performing engines and cleaner energy. Partnerships like these are important to help us to deliver on our ambitions.”

[MIKA27]

Mercedes deploys engine fixes after post-test investigation

Mercedes has put in place a series of countermeasures for its race specification Formula 1 engine, Motorsport.com has learned, after getting to the bottom of the problems it encountered in testing.

The German manufacturer was hit by a number of reliability issues over the two weeks of running at Barcelona last month, with both its works team and Williams requiring engine changes.

World champion Lewis Hamilton admitted at the end of the test that the team was not particularly comfortable with the situation it found itself in.

“Is it a concern? Yeah. For sure,” he said about the engine dramas. “Normally in the pre-season we have much more confidence in the reliability, so it has not been perfect.”

Mercedes flew its troubled power units back to its Brixworth, UK engine headquarters for a detailed analysis, and the work since then has allowed its engineers to fully understand what happened.

The problems in the first week, which led to Mercedes changing engines ahead of the final day of running, were caused by cooling problems with the MGU-H. By the second test, tweaks had been made to help overcome the issue and there was no repeat of that specific problem.

The trouble at the second test was caused by two bearing failures, and Mercedes has applied countermeasures for its spec-one engine that will be used from this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

Despite the testing problems, Mercedes has not had to roll back on the specification of engine it will use, and it is confident that it will not have to limit how aggressive it can be with engine modes in a bid to ensure reliability.

Speaking ahead of the first race, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: “We're glad that we encountered these issues in testing rather than at a race weekend as we could work on fixing them without any penalties.”

[MIKA27]

Coronavirus scare at Albert Park Hotel on eve of Australian GP

A restaurant next to the Albert Park track is at the centre of a coronavirus scare after a 70-year-old Australian man, who has since been diagnosed with Covid-19, attended a function there on Saturday.

According to local media, the man is believed to have been suffering symptoms of Covid-19 upon his return from Singapore on Friday, having also travelled through Egypt, Israel and Jordan. Instead of self-isolating, as per instructions from local health officials, he attended a function at the Albert Park Hotel restaurant on Saturday, which is just to the north east of the Australian GP venue.

An official reopening of the venue has been postponed and staff working at the function have been requested to self-isolate.

The man also visited South Melbourne Market a few blocks further north on Friday morning. He was only diagnosed with coronavirus by a doctor on Sunday, one of 18 confirmed cases recorded in the state of Victoria.

“Extreme measures”

Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday that he is ready to take “extreme measures” to limit the spread of the virus in the coming weeks – but said there was no reason to cancel this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

“We are not cancelling the Grand Prix next week, or footy the week after, now is not the time for these things,” he said.

“But that time will come, and it is appropriate, just like fire, to be frank with people.”

MIKA: I rest my case about not attending... It's people like this that don't self isolate themselves that spread this around.

[MIKA27]

Five things to look out for in the Australian GP

Motorsport.com’s Global Editor-in-Chief Charles Bradley gives his views as the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship gets set to kick off in Melbourne, Australia this weekend.

1: Will coronavirus fears disrupt the event?

One story is dominating the headlines around the world, as the planet faces up to a potential pandemic. The spread of coronavirus – or Covid-19 – hasn’t really impacted on Australia as much as many other countries but you can imagine some of the locals having fears, especially with so many confirmed cases in Italy (Ferrari, Pirelli, AlphaTauri) and Japan (Honda). But Tuesday’s news that a man diagnosed with the virus had attended a function at Albert Park Hotel on Saturday was a little close to home…

With the Chinese Grand Prix already postponed, and Bahrain happening behind closed doors, there’s a clear threat to F1’s world championship playing out as planned. Many sports have already been struck with wholesale event cancellations, and F1’s ‘travelling circus’ element is ripe for a virus such as this playing havoc if cases are diagnosed following a race.

How will the stars of the F1 show interact with their fans? Will we see an “arm’s length” approach from teams across the board? How will the lockdown impact the Italian teams in the long term? And what if something similar happens in the UK’s ‘Motorsport Valley’? Can the European season be expected to happen, or will F1 be forced to chase places where travel isn’t restricted?

2: Does Mercedes really have an Achilles’ heel?

It was little surprise that Mercedes won the winter testing war, but a couple of power unit-related failures certainly raised the eyebrows. Any frailty in Merc’s armour in previous seasons of the hybrid-turbo era have been very much high temperature/cooling related. But that wasn’t an issue in Barcelona, so the sight of blue smoke was most unwelcome.

Williams also suffered multiple issues with its customer Mercedes engines, and while we can expect some quick reactions to ensure no repeats, the double-header flyaway nature of the opening races does add some extra pressure.

As Lewis Hamilton admitted: “It's just not quite where we want it to be reliability-wise. But I am sure they are back at the factory now working hard to rectify whatever the issue is.”

Not dissimilar to the coronavirus, it will be intriguing to see what containment measures Mercedes puts in place to nip this problem in the bud.

3: Is Red Bull-Honda ready for a title tilt?

There were times in F1 2019 when Max Verstappen, Red Bull and Honda seemed on the verge of a huge breakthrough at the front of the field in terms of raw pace. Despite three wins and three poles (one of which was taken away) it just wasn’t quite there – although Verstappen worked wonders to beat both Ferrari drivers in the points.

This year, with Ferrari appearing to struggle in testing, the door is open for Red Bull to take a big run at toppling Mercedes. Now settled on Alexander Albon in the second seat, there’s fewer excuses for not making a cohesive championship assault.

Testing went well, with Verstappen best of the rest behind Valtteri Bottas’s times, and that was without using the softest tyre compound available.

“We had good preparation,” said Verstappen. “I think that’s very good from our side, and I hope it’s enough to be competitive in Melbourne.

“We tried basically everything we wanted to try over all the days together, so I’m very pleased with that. It all seemed to be working quite well. We were not running the softest compound, but still I think the balance of the car was good.”

However, the RB16's handling still seemed to be quite edgy, with both drivers suffering numerous spins. Honda does claim to have fixed its start deficiency, which can be traced to its aggressive throttle maps, but can it rival Mercedes and Ferrari in the horsepower stakes too?

4: Who is best of the rest?

This mantle is likely to change from race to race, but there are three obvious contenders for the top team beyond Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

Renault again starts the season with the most to prove, not least to justify its full-manufacturer team status. Esteban Ocon joins Daniel Ricciardo, a move which lessens its scope for excuses even further.

Although it’s madness to read too much into the Barcelona test order, both Ricciardo and Ocon were at the right end of the timesheets, and the RS20 looks a lot more purposeful than what’s gone before.

McLaren has this position to defend in 2020, and both Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris enjoyed a drama-free winter. It appears to have a more stable platform for the coming season, and it knows which direction it's heading in, but there wasn’t much positivity in terms of catching up with those ahead.

Racing Point is perhaps the most intriguing prospect in the midfield, having taken a cheeky ‘2019 Mercedes copy’ approach. When Sergio Perez says he’s got “the most solid package I've had in my career to start the season” you’ve got to sit up and take notice!

Beyond that trio, both the ‘Alph-Alfas’– namely AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo – looked promising. Expect a packed midfield fight again, with Haas also in big need of improvement after a dismal 2019.

5: Who will be bringing up the rear?

It’s got to be Williams again, hasn’t it? While it is streets ahead of where it started last season, this sleeping giant is unlikely to rise from its slumbers. In George Russell the squad knows it has a gem who is getting every last ounce of pace from the car, and in newcomer Nicholas Latifi it has a handy number two, both in terms of talent and revenue stream.

“No doubt we're in a better position,” admitted Russell when asked if Williams had a reaslitic hope of moving off the back of the grid. “I think realistically, we are still the slowest car. We're not going to get carried away with ourselves, but we've definitely reduced the gap.”

And, right now, that’s all that can be asked of this team.

[MIKA27]

Racing Point: DAS would require all-new chassis

Racing Point says there is "no chance" it will pursue a DAS system on its car this season considering the concept has been banned for 2021.

Mercedes caused a stir in the first pre-season test when it revealed its Dual Axis Steering design – which alters the toe angle of the front wheels through the drivers pushing and pulling the steering wheel.

Rival teams have looked into the benefits of it, but question whether the small advantage DAS brings is worth the extra effort to create it.

Racing Point technical director Andrew Green says that it will not be pursuing it because of both the scale of the work and the fact that the 2021 rules outlaw systems like DAS anyway.

"It is a significant project. Significant to the point where I suspect it would require a new chassis from where we are now," said Green.

"Even if the rules weren't changing next year, I doubt whether we would be introducing something like that for this year.

"But the fact that the rules are changing next year, and that type of system appears to be outlawed with a new regulation, then no chance. I think it is one of those small gains that if you can do it you will do it, but if you can't you won't."

Green said that introducing DAS would only work if the extra weight of the system could be off set elsewhere, and there was no guarantee it would deliver lap time at all tracks.

"I think we've got a view to where the benefits might be," he explained. "We haven't done any simulations to establish that. But if you have the weight available to be able to run this type of system, you're going to get the benefit out of it.

"I think the magnitude of the benefit is going to be dependent upon lots of factors. From the tyres you are running, to the track you're running at, to the basic handling of the car.

"The benefit will be dependent on those factors. At some tracks, there will be very little benefit, but some tracks it is maybe worth a few tenths. It's a variable."

[MIKA27]

Ocon pinpoints key to Hamilton's "successful life everywhere"

Esteban Ocon says Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton's time management skills are key to him having "such a successful life everywhere".
Ocon worked alongside six-time F1 champion Hamilton during his year as a Mercedes reserve driver in 2019.

Speaking at the launch of his new employer Renault's 2020 campaign, Ocon said he found the experience of working with Hamilton and his teammate Valtteri Bottas "very useful" - and revealed Hamilton had aided him in coping with career uncertainty.

"I came out of my environment, with my experience, driving, using stuff, knowing what's best, what's not, and then going to see how they [Hamilton and Bottas] do their things [was] definitely very, very useful for me," Ocon said.

"On the other side also, I had a good chat with Lewis, who gave me good advice - not really the sport side, more the managing side, and the moment where it was a bit crucial, where there were discussions [for 2020] but nothing signed.

"He knew how to give me good words and gave me directions, where to go, and definitely, yeah, among a lot of people he was also a good teacher in all those paths."

Asked what exactly he'd learned from Hamilton, Ocon said: "I won't go into details because that would be giving [away] his secrets, but definitely how he used his time, it's very impressive.

"The way he worked with his engineers and the life the has, you know, all around he has a very busy life, but when he does something it's 100 percent. Forget the rest.

"He does his things, very precisely. But once he's done it, boom, doesn't lose time, does something else. And this is something in Formula 1 it's quite easy to not do well.

"Because you need to refocus on the things - so you could've gone to the Fan Zone, whatever, and then you come back to your engineering debrief, you only have 10 minutes to speak with your engineers, but you took three [minutes] to refocus.

"And he straight away managed to switch very clearly from that. And I think this is why he has such a successful life everywhere."

 

[MIKA27]

Exploring the suspension layouts that could give Mercedes and Red Bull the edge

Of all the 2020 cars, those of Mercedes and Red Bull have created the most technical interest, both featuring major innovations in their front suspension layouts in particular. Although the new developments are in the same area, they are quite different in concept and seem to have been driven by different aims. Ahead of the season-opener in Australia, Mark Hughes and Giorgio Piola take a closer look…

MERCEDES W11

The Mercedes has been packaged around incorporating their radical new DAS (dual axis steering) system, which varies the toe angle of the front wheels through moving the steering column fore and aft.

Although the mechanism is largely hidden, the top of cylinders inboard each upper wishbone can be seen on the left in the drawing below. These hint at the mechanism that is being used to connect the steering column’s fore and aft movement to the toe angle of the wheels, via the tie rods at the bottom.

Comparing to last year’s W10 on the right of the drawing, the red arrows show there were no such cylinders there before.

On the left, the mechanism suspected to control Mercedes' DAS in the W11 is shown. There were no such cylinders in the W10's nose.

What that comparison also illustrates is that the reshaped bulkhead, to create space for the new cylinders, has allowed the upper wishbone to be mounted at less of an angle, which should give it a greater range of articulation.

RED BULL RB16

The Red Bull’s main innovation is in the re-siting of the steering mechanism and hydraulic reservoirs from ahead of the front bulkhead to behind it.

This is part of the repackaging that has been made possible by lengthening the front of the tub. Siting these components further back has allowed the nose to be slimmed down considerably – and this is part of the car’s aerodynamic philosophy.

The slimmer nose not only presents less surface area to the air, but also reduces the un-energised ‘dead zone’ of air pressure that can form beneath the nose, slowing down the airflow feed to the underfloor.

In terms of the actual suspension, Red Bull have retained their unique multi-link format, with separate mounting points where the wishbone bolts to the wheel hub. But they have transferred the arrangement from the upper wishbone to the lower. The rear leg of the lower wishbone (indicated by the red arrow in the image below) can be seen mounted lower than the front leg. This, like last year’s arrangement, will result in less reduction in the tyre’s contact patch when big steering angles are applied. But it will give a lower centre of gravity than last year’s layout.

Red Bull's nose has undergone a dramatic repackaging and a slimmer set-up could slow down airflow underneath the car.

It has been speculated that the lower wishbone is a single piece that feeds through the bulkhead, although this is not certain. It could be that the continuation of the line of the wishbone is simply a sheath, possible incorporating the wheel tether cables.

However, the re-arrangement of the steering to behind the bulkhead, while allowing the slimmed nose, will make incorporating a Mercedes-like DAS system much more difficult than it would have been with the more conventional layout.

The question now is, will either of these advancements give Mercedes or Red Bull the advantage as the season begins?

[MIKA27]

ANALYSIS: Why Renault have emerged as 2020’s dark horse

Renault launched their season without a car. They limited their media output during their pre-test filming day to spy shots and they didn’t make the headlines in week one of testing as Mercedes’ innovative DAS system Racing Point’s ‘pink Mercedes’ stole the show. Even when Daniel Ricciardo went quickest to top the morning session on the final day and set the fourth best time of the whole test, as teams switched their attention to the softest compound C5 tyre and low fuel runs, no one really took much notice. But should they have done?

I watched that lap with Esteban Ocon in the Renault motorhome, having just finished a lengthy interview you will be able to read soon. What was notable was the Frenchman’s reaction. It wasn’t one of surprise, but rather more what he expected. If anything, he felt it could have been even quicker - and that speaks volumes.

Renault improved year-on-year since returning as a works team until the last campaign, when they underperformed and were beaten by customers McLaren to fourth in the constructors’ championship. A repeat will not be tolerated.

Their refurbishment and extension of the factory is complete, their recruitment drive almost done. The foundations are in place. A lot of work has gone in over the winter to improve reliability, particularly at their engine base in Viry which has been a particular weakness for the French manufacturer - and the early signs are very positive.

“We are definitely ready as far as reliability is concerned, it was pretty strong for us at this test,” said Ricciardo. “In January the reliability of the dyno and everything back at Viry was positive. They racked up more kilometres than they ever had before in their endurance tests. So that was really positive. I think we are looking pretty good.”

In terms of short run pace, Renault were the second best team overall, behind only world champions Mercedes, around one second off the pace according to our data (with the usual caveat of not knowing the precise fuel load). They were very competitive over the long runs, too, slotting into third, 0.7s/lap slower than Mercedes.

Perhaps the most impressive stat of all is the percentage difference in long-run pace seen in testing compared to the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Using Mercedes as a reference, Renault have made a 2.91% gain, more than any other team. Only Haas, McLaren and Williams made improvements in this metric.

Two senior sources say from the data they have seen from winter testing, particularly concerning the long runs, Renault look like they are heading the midfield. In the shorter runs, the feeling is Renault are close with McLaren, Racing Point and AlphaTauri.

Ricciardo struggled to get comfortable with the car over the course of his first campaign with the team, but he has been much happier with the R.S.20 after just six days of testing. The Honey Badger reckons Renault have improved the overall balance of the car and feels the rear of the car is more stable, which has allowed him to get out of the corners a bit harder and thus carry more speed.

But there’s still a desire for more grip and more downforce – what all drivers and teams crave. It’s for this reason that while they are looking capable of winning the midfield battle, at least at the start of the season, they are still some way off the top three – Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

Progress in F1, though, takes time. And heading the midfield this year, and showing improved reliability and performance, will be important in justifying their presence in Formula 1 going forward and give them hope they can make the most of new regulations for 2021 and get them closer to recapturing the glory days last experienced back in 2006…

[MIKA27]

Daniel Ricciardo gets grilled by school kids

On track, Daniel Ricciardo has beaten the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, but the Renault driver met his match when he was thrown in front of a room full of school kids recently, all armed with questions for the Australian star.

From the driver he hates most, to the fastest he’s ever gone in a race car, to the intricacies of the Star Wars saga, Ricciardo endures a barrage of questions from the students of Enstone School, based in the same town as Renault’s UK factory.

From the evidence, it looks like Ricciardo enjoyed his day – but he does concede: “being humiliated by a person a third of your age is quite intimidating”. Check out how he fared in the video up top.

[dcbuss]

35 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

I am looking forward to the season, shame I'm missing the F1 here in Melbourne for the first time ever, but the risk with Corona is not worth taking.

I hope Renault, HAAS do well in the midfield, perhaps a surprise podium too?

Stroll will never get the boot whilst daddy is at the helm of the team.... sadly. 

Stroll.  Shake my head.  I’m for Williams...but alas.  Still can’t wait for the racing!  And that’s a shame about Melborne, but very cool that you’re able to attend!  I grew up in Michigan, with Andretti, fittapaldi etc

[dcbuss]

Went to Belle isle all of the time.

[MIKA27]

Just now, dcbuss said:

Stroll.  Shake my head.  I’m for Williams...but alas.  Still can’t wait for the racing!  And that’s a shame about Melborne, but very cool that you’re able to attend!  I grew up in Michigan, with Andretti, fittapaldi etc

I usually attend every race in melbourne, the track is 15 Kms (9 Miles) away from my home so I am close. With my son who is 11 years old, it's simply not worth the risk.

I follow a number of teams, Mercedes for sure, but I have always had a soft spot for Williams.

Really wish they replaced Claire, nothing against her, but give someone else a go, can't get any worse for a team that's won 9 Constructors and 7 drivers Championships. They really deserve better but equally need to stop chasing drivers with money. many teams do it, but I have no idea why Williams have such rotten luck.

[dcbuss]

18 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

I usually attend every race in melbourne, the track is 15 Kms (9 Miles) away from my home so I am close. With my son who is 11 years old, it's simply not worth the risk.

I follow a number of teams, Mercedes for sure, but I have always had a soft spot for Williams.

Really wish they replaced Claire, nothing against her, but give someone else a go, can't get any worse for a team that's won 9 Constructors and 7 drivers Championships. They really deserve better but equally need to stop chasing drivers with money. many teams do it, but I have no idea why Williams have such rotten luck.

So true, on Claire.  I’m afraid that if they replace her, the fear is...the name goes too.  And the old man built that team by the pressure applied to his boot straps.  But alas, it isn’t much different than the strolls....geez, that’s tough to write.

[avaldes]

Season 2 of Drive to Survive was pretty interesting, especially the Williams episode. The interactions between Paddy Lowe and Claire Williams were disfunctional at best. It was insightful to see how they really dropped the ball on the design and manufacture of the car. As someone in the technical world I have seen successful designs come to fruition and the exact same scenario that happened at Williams where it all falls apart...It sure seemed like his heart wasn't in it for 2018 or 2019. That could have been due to real personal issues, doing it for the money or simply lost the fire. Any way you cut it, Williams as a team did not recognize their issues and react quickly enough, or they didn't have enough money to react to the problems.

[Eric05]

Actually just started watching the series on Netflix. It's very interesting and a totally different outtake on what the sport is about. I do believe Clair has to go, I know her ties to the company are strong, but if she wants what's best. She needs to take the hands off the wheel on this one. 

Mercedes are just too tough to beat at this point, I think the main fight will be for 2-3 place. Renault might be a dark house, really depending on what Riccardo can do this year. Last year he collected his massive paycheck. Its going to be different the following year with different regulations and him getting even older. 

[avaldes]

BTW, a common saying in aerospace is that you can have Cost, Performance and Schedule....pick two out of three.

[MIKA27]

15 hours ago, avaldes said:

Season 2 of Drive to Survive was pretty interesting, especially the Williams episode. The interactions between Paddy Lowe and Claire Williams were disfunctional at best. It was insightful to see how they really dropped the ball on the design and manufacture of the car. As someone in the technical world I have seen successful designs come to fruition and the exact same scenario that happened at Williams where it all falls apart...It sure seemed like his heart wasn't in it for 2018 or 2019. That could have been due to real personal issues, doing it for the money or simply lost the fire. Any way you cut it, Williams as a team did not recognize their issues and react quickly enough, or they didn't have enough money to react to the problems.

The issues within Williams extend further than just with Paddy Lowe.

Paddy for sure, seemed disconnected, but who knows how the staff are treated within the team? Lack of resources etc. Irrespective, he had to go.

I really feel Claire needs to go IMHO.

[MIKA27]

1 hour ago, avaldes said:

BTW, a common saying in aerospace is that you can have Cost, Performance and Schedule....pick two out of three.

Cost and Schedule.... Doesn't that dictate performance?

[MIKA27]

McLaren and Haas team members in self-isolation after showing signs of coronavirus

McLaren Racing have confirmed that an employee working at the Albert Park circuit for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix is in self-isolation and is currently being tested for the Covid-19 virus.

A short statement released by the Woking-based squad in Melbourne on Wednesday evening revealed that an employee is being held in self-isolation after being tested for the virus due to displaying several early symptoms.

“We can confirm that one team member has self-isolated in the hotel as a precaution, in line with our policy, after showing symptoms similar to coronavirus,” read the statement.

“We are awaiting test results and currently do not have a definitive timeframe for these. The team is operating as per our normal schedule.”

A pair of employees working for rival team Haas F1 are also reportedly also in self-isolation after showing similar Covid-19 symptoms, with the usual 14-day quarantine period following across all three cases.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation has also released a short statement regarding the latest development, confirming the organisation is currently “monitoring the situation”.

“The Australian Grand Prix Corporation has been informed of three Formula 1® team personnel presenting for precautionary testing and who are now all undergoing precautionary self-isolation,” said AGPC CEO Andrew Westacott.
 
“The AGPC is monitoring the situation in conjunction with Formula 1® and the FIA.”

The news is worrying for F1, who decided to push ahead with the Australian GP despite many other events throughout the world being cancelled as the Covid-19 epidemic spread further around the globe.

The Chinese GP-due to be held as the fourth round of the 2020 F1 campaign on April 19th– was axed last month as a result of the outbreak, which originated in China and has now gone on to infect over 115,000- and claimed the lives of approximately 4200.

The MotoGP season opener has now been delayed until at least mid-April after the cancellation of the Qatar, Thai and United States races, while several other large-scale sporting and festival events have also been canned.