Here we go.
One month until things get going in earnest. Testing in a couple of weeks.
Things seem to be forming up to be a great season. Testing will at lease show demeanor of the teams. I think the idea to have a joint downtown season start event in Melbourne is a great idea.
I hope the new technical adjustments help with passing but surely it won't be a perfect solution.
HONDA I hope they can show well. If not this year then I fear all positive energy will be lost.
Haas as unveiled their new Rich Energy livery - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrBWoMqpVI
Looks a lot like John Player Special. I bet that is by no accident, since Rich Energy is, well... not much. So they are trying to define themselves.
The funny think I keep hearing about RE is that they are not trying to sell a superior product vs. Red Bull as much as a superior lifestyle... Except they only sell cans of stuff. I do hope that they don't take the Haas team down.
I have to step my international travel game up this year and catch some races in person.
I’m interested to see what Ricciardo can do at Renault, Leclerc at Ferrari, and of course Kimi with Sauber.
alfadriver said:Haas as unveiled their new Rich Energy livery - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrBWoMqpVI
Looks a lot like John Player Special. I bet that is by no accident, since Rich Energy is, well... not much. So they are trying to define themselves.
The funny think I keep hearing about RE is that they are not trying to sell a superior product vs. Red Bull as much as a superior lifestyle... Except they only sell cans of stuff. I do hope that they don't take the Haas team down.
I'm still curious how such a small company, with limited availability and very low sales, has the money to sponsor an F1 team.
In reply to z31maniac :
Seems like they are banking on the F1 team advertising to boost their product. They imply that they have huge investors who are fully on board with that plan, but there's is an real issue with making *stuff* and selling it for more money than the cost it takes to make the stuff. If you can't do that, there's no money to be made. And I have not seen the *stuff* that they are making, so where's the money coming from.
It's odd that a company would invest in high end advertising without a solid product. One should spend the money on product development prior to advertising.
So I'm back to the hope that RE does not take down Haas due to questionable financials... That's exactly what happened to Force India.
They may be counting on the F1 team to be a revenue generation tool. I’ll bet Red Bull F1 is self-supporting. I’m not saying it will work, but it is possibly the plan.
My gutsy preseason predictions:
Lewis wins again, with Max as his biggest competitor, except for the trail of exploding Honda engines.
Seb continues to succumb to the pressure, even worse this year due to Mr. Leclerc, who is even faster than we think.
Valteri doesn't pull over for Lewis when told to. Shortly after, Ocon is announced as next years team mate to Lewis.
Halfway through the season, Daniel can't sleep due to the bad decision he made after listening to the sales pitch from Renault.
All last years also-rans will continue to be the also-rans.
TV people will make a big deal about Kimi passing someone for tenth place.
I think we will see Valteri being racy early in the season. He said last year that he hadn't managed to put himself in position to battle for the title, so that's why he had the role of wingman. He was pretty clear that he understood this and that he would try not to let it happen in 2019. I think Mercedes will let them race as long as they keep it clean because that gets lots of coverage of Mercedes being racy.
Max will continue to have red mist problems and the Formula 1 circus will continue to heap adulation upon him as he throws temper tantrums. Still, he will pick up a few wins.
Leclerc vs Seb could be quite interesting. I think Seb will still have the edge, but only if he steps up due to the pressure instead of crumbling.
Does anyone see a Honda motor that can last a whole race? They seemed to have a few moments where they had the HP figured out but couldn't keep them together. I may admittedly just be hoping to not be watching the end of Ricciardo's career with the Renault move.
In reply to 84FSP :
I don't expect it. At least in a form that will be competitive. The dream of a return to the 80's is long, long gone. Honda has to demonstrate they can vs. predict they will.
In reply to 84FSP :
I think I read an web article about that very topic. They stopped blowing up and breaking Honda units and then started getting more and more power out of them. Were they at Ferrari or MB power yet. NOPE. But they should match Renault all day. So it is up to the chassis guys to come through. Then I think Honda has a chance to make themselves stars or disappointments.
In reply to Advan046 :
One of the biggest problems in F1, particularly for Honda, is the lack of in-season testing. If they didn't have to contend with these stupid testing and development rules (and grid penalties on top of it) Honda (and the rest) would have reliable engines with reasonable parity in power. The lack of testing also limits driver development because there is just not enough seat time available.
triumph7 said:In reply to Advan046 :
One of the biggest problems in F1, particularly for Honda, is the lack of in-season testing. If they didn't have to contend with these stupid testing and development rules (and grid penalties on top of it) Honda (and the rest) would have reliable engines with reasonable parity in power. The lack of testing also limits driver development because there is just not enough seat time available.
Yep, they claim it's for "cost reasons" yet continue to change the aero rules every few years.
Horner is claiming the new front wing along is something like $15 million pounds worth of additional development.
triumph7 said:In reply to Advan046 :
One of the biggest problems in F1, particularly for Honda, is the lack of in-season testing. If they didn't have to contend with these stupid testing and development rules (and grid penalties on top of it) Honda (and the rest) would have reliable engines with reasonable parity in power. The lack of testing also limits driver development because there is just not enough seat time available.
Thing is, Mercedes does not suffer due to the that reason. Ferrari neither- they are now making power on scale with Mercedes. Renault hasn't been able to really catch up, but at least Red Bull has won hybrid era races with them.
So why is Honda the only one who suffers?
And if Honda would benefit by it, wouldn't Mercedes, Ferrari, and Renault, as well? Given Honda's recent track record- going back 20 years- there's no clear path that they would uniquely gain on the field if in season testing limits would raise.
Besides, WRT engines, they can test all day long in a dyno. I'm not aware of dyno testing limits.
The Honda McLaren relationship was terrible start to finish. I have worked with Japanese and other Asian culture partners. Everything I heard from McLaren was going to simply fracture the deal they claimed they wanted. Torro Rosso went a different direction and they helped build a team with Honda.
I am curious how the new driver weight rules will change things? Will Hulk look like Thor? Will Ricciardo eat even more steak in Austin? Will Hamilton and Vettel be out muscled?
Toro Rosso's actual 2019 car revealed
That's the first whole, non-rendered 2019 F1 car to come out. Check out the new simplified front wings:
Will Ricciardo be remembered for a genius move or forgotten because of this faux par
Well, Alonso was the king of bad career decisions and he never got forgotten...
Keith Tanner said:Well, Alonso was the king of bad career decisions and he never got forgotten...
It helps that he won a couple of WDCs before he sabotaged himself.
aussiesmg said:Will Ricciardo be remembered for a genius move or forgotten because of this faux par
I think he did the right thing. He proved he's got the racing chops, he needs a team that will support him. It looks to be a great symbiotic relationship. If Renault can get their engines to last he's going to win races.
That Renault is a sharp looking livery and suits the car well. It's good to see that some designers are sticking to bold graphics instead of the "we can put ANYTHING on a wrap!" Red Bull disease. I do miss the Williams Martini, it was a great looking car.
I've got 2000 entries into a contest to go hang out in the Renault pits during the British Grand Prix.
I'm not really into F1, but damn does that look nice. Almost subtle.
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