The F1 Thread

[GordonS]

1 minute ago, UsedToGoToCentralPark said:

Have they got the rules of cricket mixed up with F1?

Oh FFS.

[IainMorton]

Surely Spa 98 was worse conditions than this, and there was no delay due to the weather? These are meant to be the top drivers in the world, let them get on with it even if they have to tiptoe round.

[Mr. Brightside]

So nobody knows whether the race has started but the time cut-off is 18:00, what a shambles.

[Boo Khaki]

3 minutes ago, GordonS said:

You've mixed up cause and effect. The cars got safer because the drivers stopped tolerating their death rate.

I'm not sure when they last raced in rain as heavy as this. It's easy to sit in your living room and say it doesn't look that bad, but I don't think that reflects what it's really like. Spa is also a less forgiving circuit that others, with much less run-off in critical places. When did they last race on a circuit like this, in weather like this?

Being heavily reliant on aero downforce makes them go faster. They should go slower because it might rain?

The main issue right now is visibility. They could just drive slower and stay on the track but if they can't see it's beyond a tolerable level of risk for most.

In any outdoor sport there will be conditions that will make it not worth it. Take the rough with the smooth.

The point wasn't about car safety, it was about how drivers perceive risk. This lot are used to going at 100% at all times because of things like safer cars, tarmac run offs etc, so any scenario that means they can't possibly go at 100% is deemed to be 'undrivable'. 

The point about aero is that when you have cars that rely utterly on aero setup, it's inevitable that you are going to create a scenario whereby they aquaplane in even moderate wet if you refuse to let them change the setups depending on circumstance. There is no significant standing water on the track, Max said the grip was perfectly fine and several others have said as much since. The problem is that when you expect them to circulate at reduced speed behind the pace car, in a dry or intermediate setup, they are all immediately going to moan about aquaplaning because the aero isn't working efficiently AND they are in a wrong setup. If a full wet setup and at race pace there would be absolutely no issue here with aquaplaning on the straights. So what you have is a scenario where the regulations are making it impossible to drive, not the conditions.

And yes, obviously it's a visibility problem, but then other series still circulate in near-monsoon conditions, hence why F1 looks like a three-ring circus every time they retreat to the pits as soon as it starts raining.

[vikingTON]

12 minutes ago, GordonS said:

 

Being heavily reliant on aero downforce makes them go faster.

When cars were based on a proper mix of mechanical and aerodynamic grip, they were not substantially slower than they are now. And they wouldn't be bitching and whining about having to drive them in the rain. 

Quote

They should go slower because it might rain?

Given that events take place across temperate/wet climates, of course they fucking should. Because otherwise you end up with this utter farce whenever conditions aren't within the tiny window of operation desired by these galaxy-brained engineers. 

For the world's flagship motorsport event to be unable to handle a bit of rain like this is a complete and utter farce. 

[Boo Khaki]

13 minutes ago, IainMorton said:

Surely Spa 98 was worse conditions than this, and there was no delay due to the weather? These are meant to be the top drivers in the world, let them get on with it even if they have to tiptoe round.

Malaysian GP 2009 was called to a halt because of torrential rain turning the track into a swimming pool. Delay of several hours while it drained, then they called the race before it got underway again. I think it was the same year's Japanese GP at Fuji that was running in zero visibility by the end because the rain was so intense. Malaysian circumstance was understandable because the standing water was so significant that it was impossible to circulate at any speed. The frustrating thing about this nonsense is that the track is perfectly drivable aside from the spray issue.

Edited August 29, 2021 by Boo Khaki

[Mark Connolly]

This is still more exciting than most of the Valencia races.

[doulikefish]

13 minutes ago, Boo Khaki said:

Malaysian GP 2009 was called to a halt because of torrential rain turning the track into a swimming pool. Delay of several hours while it drained, then they called the race before it got underway again. I think it was the same year's Japanese GP at Fuji that was running in zero visibility by the end because the rain was so intense. Malaysian circumstance was understandable because the standing water was so significant that it was impossible to circulate at any speed. The frustrating thing about this nonsense is that the track is perfectly drivable aside from the spray issue.

2009 Malaysia you say

[Mr. Brightside]

They're just making this up as they go along.

[MP_MFC]

So they’ve just stopped the clock.

For a sport with so many rules…..

[Ginaro]

16 minutes ago, Boo Khaki said:

And yes, obviously it's a visibility problem, but then other series still circulate in near-monsoon conditions, hence why F1 looks like a three-ring circus every time they retreat to the pits as soon as it starts raining.

Which ones?

7 minutes ago, Boo Khaki said:

The frustrating thing about this nonsense is that the track is perfectly drivable aside from the spray issue.

Well yeah but this is a race not one lap qualifying.

[Boo Khaki]

9 minutes ago, Ginaro said:

Which ones?

Well yeah but this is a race not one lap qualifying.

Practically every single one that isn't F1

[afc_36_0]

Some ludicrous comments on here. No visibility and the cars aquaplane with this amount of standing water, look what happened to norris yesterday. Spa 98 probably was the same/worse but that was 23 years ago, marshals also used to run onto the track with cars flying round at full speed back then

[Mr. Brightside]

Norris crashed because he was going too fast for the conditions.

They never should have stopped, and should have continued going round under the safety car.

[doulikefish]

 

[Mr. Brightside]

My goodness. The race is going to resume.

[Boo Khaki]

Yup, but no point at all in it going green because as soon as somebody bins it the red flag will come out.

Two laps behind the pace car and they'll dish out half points.

 

[Ginaro]

Feel sorry for the C4F1 crew who have to fill a 2:30 programme which begins in just 70 minutes time!

[Leicesterlichtie]

Can't see this lasting long.

[GordonS]

47 minutes ago, afc_36_0 said:

Some ludicrous comments on here. No visibility and the cars aquaplane with this amount of standing water, look what happened to norris yesterday. Spa 98 probably was the same/worse but that was 23 years ago, marshals also used to run onto the track with cars flying round at full speed back then

Easy to be a tough guy when you're not the one doing 200mph behind a car that you literally can't see.

ETA wasn't it at that race at Spa where Schumacher crashed into the back of Coulthard, then accused him of trying to kill him? 

Edited August 29, 2021 by GordonS