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F1 racing

BasilLongfellow said:
I know nothing about cars. I love watching F1. I am mesmerized by the engineering.
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It's like NASA. The teams are only allowed 60 engineers at the track. Like the Red Bull team out of the UK they have another 40 at control central watching the car through the computers and are relaying messages real time from UK to the track and back. Pretty amazing to say the least.
 

Pops said:
It's like NASA. The teams are only allowed 60 engineers at the track. Like the Red Bull team out of the UK they have another 40 at control central watching the car through the computers and are relaying messages real time from UK to the track and back. Pretty amazing to say the least.
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Absolutely. The sheer performance they get out of those vehicles is incredible.
 



HuskerWeatherman said:
Pretty hard to bunch cars up on a 3.4 mile track. But yes, they could bunch 'em up during a caution. Realistically, though... you are asking for (not intentionally) more crashes in a race that would be insanely dangerous if frequently bunched. I think you understand that with a 20-turn track.

Mercedes has dominated 2014-2016. But prior to that, Red Bull dominated. I believe there's a major change in the engines being enforced for the 2017 season, which is bound to shake things up, as happens every few years. That's really how they keep it relatively fresh.

I went to the Lone Star Le Mans (endurance racing, 6-hr race) a month or so ago. That's obviously a different strategy, but quite entertaining. Maybe that's more suitable for your interests.
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I've been watching F1 on and off (more recently on again) since the late 90s so I understand that... But to me the racing just isn't great. The engineering is amazing as Basil said, but besides corner 1, there are very few passes in the race... which kinda doesn't make it a race. Sure there are different strategies, but those strategies can only produce so many different outcomes. If you start the race outside the top 2 rows, you really don't have a chance to win unless there is a big pile-up in the first corner or technical issues.

And yeah, everything goes in streaks. Before Red Bull, it was Ferrari with Schumacher. Its just amazing to me how one team can figure out how to dominate for such sustained periods. I could understand 1/2 a season or something like that, but when you dominate for years in a row, it really makes me wonder what the heck is going on.

And yes, the engines are getting a slight change - boost pressure constraint, but the cars are also going to be wider, heavier and run on wider tires. Obviously this will lead to more grip for the cars and some are projecting lap times to be 4-5 seconds less than this year (insane if true) but many are still doubting it will help with overtaking and how the cars react in the wake of other cars. And there is my rub... the cars are already going stupidly fast as it is, no need to go faster. Slow them down a bit, but give them more grip and the ability to operate better in traffic - changes need to be made in the front wing.

And endurance racing is alright, but that's a lot of strategy too, not necessarily good racing, especially when there can be so many different classes of cars on the track at the same time. Honestly my favorite racing is the WOO Sprints. Side by side, short track dirt racing. So fantastic. Really get to see a driver's ability in those situations.
 
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Pops said:
Well it's run like NASA. They are allowed to bring only 60 engenders with them and 40 are connected through the command center for the Red Bull team in the UK. Live car results are analyzed through the command center and forwarded to the engineers at the track Red Bull just switched teams this year with their engine. gas is given each time they pit is a reason you don't see em pit for the race JUST for gas. They pit finding right tires according to track Temp. Soft med hard back to soft and final run most will go to hard. Far as getting close ...this aint NASCAR 51 drivers have died driving F1, not for the fails of heart
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Not to belittle the lives lost, but only 4 have been in the last 20 years, 10 since 1980. And half of the 51 were in a practice or test session, not an actual race so those are largely attributed to something else besides racing conditions.

And for the record, Nascar has had 28 fatalities, with the last one being Dale Earnhardt in 2001. But once again, very similar to F1, most of those occurred in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Considering how many more accidents occur in Nascar and the fact that these guys are driving normally 180+ mph door-to-door, its amazing there aren't more fatalities.
 
huskon4ever! said:
Not to belittle the lives lost, but only 4 have been in the last 20 years, 10 since 1980. And half of the 51 were in a practice or test session, not an actual race so those are largely attributed to something else besides racing conditions.

And for the record, Nascar has had 28 fatalities, with the last one being Dale Earnhardt in 2001. But once again, very similar to F1, most of those occurred in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Considering how many more accidents occur in Nascar and the fact that these guys are driving normally 180+ mph door-to-door, its amazing there aren't more fatalities.
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Dont disagree with anything you said..yet rules are different for a reason...open where racing is a whole different game. I'm just not a oval track fan...left turns.
 
No one will touch Mercedes for a while and the other teams know it.
 




Pops said:
Dont disagree with anything you said..yet rules are different for a reason...open where racing is a whole different game. I'm just not a oval track fan...left turns.
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Fair enough. I enjoy when Nascar goes to Sonoma and Watkins Glen as it obviously gives a different feel, but a lot of times, it actually leads to worse racing (besides some of the 1.5 mile tracks) as the cars get so strung out and there are very few passing opportunities. Usually only get a pass if someone uses their bumper, which obviously doesn't work in open wheel.. :)

For me, I like seeing the drivers have an opportunity/ability to pass. Like I said above, I love WOO Sprints (cheers to North Dakota's own Donny Schatz on another championship this year!) as there is so much passing. In Nascar, I really like the tracks that get the most passing or are interesting because of design and leads to a ton of strategy - Daytona, Talladega, Bristol, Martinsville, Richmond, Pocono, Darlington.

Also looking back at the F1 deaths, quite a few came at Indy.. I wonder if this is another reason why F1 doesn't run those oval tracks?
 



To me F1 is almost always about who has the best cars. Right now it is Mercedes. When Lotus produced the first ground effects cars Andretti won a driving title. Was he the best driver, probably not, but he had the best car. Really great drivers always drive for the best teams. Schumacher and Sienna were great drivers, but they drove great cars. It is just the way it is in F1
 

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