The F1 thread

thumpingrug

Cols said:

What would the likes of Nuvolari, Fangio and Moss have made of a World Champion threatening not to race because he’s not allowed to have bits of metal through his face on track?

Lewis Hamilton frustrated by FIA jewellery rules at Miami Grand Prix build-up

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/61342278

Its a stupid rule by the FIA that really does not interfere with safety or any drivers ability to do their job.  Hes right to make a stand

Cols

thumpingrug said:

Cols said:

What would the likes of Nuvolari, Fangio and Moss have made of a World Champion threatening not to race because he’s not allowed to have bits of metal through his face on track?

Lewis Hamilton frustrated by FIA jewellery rules at Miami Grand Prix build-up

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/61342278

Its a stupid rule by the FIA that really does not interfere with safety or any drivers ability to do their job.  Hes right to make a stand

I rather imagine Grosjean was quite glad he didn’t have any intimate piercings.

sinbaadi

Yeah I tend to agree that this should be advisory and not mandatory.  

I reckon Fangio et al would be appalled more by how many words are in the modern rule book, than they would be by a driver challenging a section of them.  A section that has no effect on the driver's chances of beating his competitors, and whilst there are safety concerns, this is not like refusing to wear a seatbelt.  It won't kill him.

TimmyO

Cols said:

thumpingrug said:

Cols said:

What would the likes of Nuvolari, Fangio and Moss have made of a World Champion threatening not to race because he’s not allowed to have bits of metal through his face on track?

Lewis Hamilton frustrated by FIA jewellery rules at Miami Grand Prix build-up

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/61342278

Its a stupid rule by the FIA that really does not interfere with safety or any drivers ability to do their job.  Hes right to make a stand

I rather imagine Grosjean was quite glad he didn’t have any intimate piercings.

Well if we’re just imagining stuff then I imagine they’d say “he’s the best of us, stop making up stupid rules and let him do as he will” 

stickyfiddle

I would imagine the old guys who mostly raced without seatbelts or roll hoops would think it was ridiculous that the FIA was worried about whether a driver has an earring under the helmet. 

Watches I can more understand, I guess.

skullfunkerry

stickyfiddle said:

I would imagine the old guys who mostly raced without seatbelts or roll hoops would think it was ridiculous that the FIA was worried about whether a driver has an earring under the helmet. 

Watches I can more understand, I guess.

From what I’ve seen of the watches most of them wear, they wouldn’t want to race with them because of the weight penalty!

stickyfiddle

I don’t know, apparently those Richard Milles worn by Leclerc, Norris, Grosjean and others, while ridiculous, weigh fuck all and are almost indestructible 

thumpingrug

The watches are a form of advertising/personal sponsorship and may well not contribute to the FIA but the manufactures still gain an advantage when they are seen on TV.   Have a nose ring or a prince albert is a bit different.

Im liking Sebs protest.

euan

I hope Seb turns up on Question Time next week looking like that.

Cols

stickyfiddle said:

I would imagine the old guys who mostly raced without seatbelts or roll hoops would think it was ridiculous that the FIA was worried about whether a driver has an earring under the helmet. 

Watches I can more understand, I guess.

It’s not so much the argument of whether or not the rule’s required; it just seems an odd hill to die on.  It’s one thing to say “Well, I think it’s a silly rule”, but quite another to say “I simply won’t race if I can’t wear my jewellery”.  

Still, Sir Lewis has form in this area.  When the halo was first proposed he was vocal in opposition, stating that if it was introduced “…then l hope that we will be given the option of not using it because l will not be using it on my car,"

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/24181/10191032/lewis-hamilton-unimpressed-with-cockpit-halo-design

It was introduced, Hamilton didn’t follow through on his threat, and he was profoundly grateful for it at Monza last year when Max decided to see what F1 cars look like stacked on top of each other.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/58539315

chillidoggy

Whether anyone thinks the rules are a load of crap is immaterial. The rules are clear, yet for some reason Hamster thinks they don't apply to him. Yet he was sure as shit bleating about following the rules at the last race of 2021, though.

Double standards? Come on Lewis, play the game, and then get that POS Merc further up the grid so we can see some close racing.

Boromedic

My take away from it is that as he's one of, or even the only one with such piercings, he's seeing it as a bit personal and a way of legislating his life choices out of the sport. In a way he's equating it to the FIA deciding his haircut, tattoos etc. even though it's only when driving. Perhaps he's digging his heels in now before they start cracking down on other things. 

He's also right, they have bigger fish to fry.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Anywho, body piercings aside, what are everyone's predictions for the weekend? The new track seems like a real handful for the drivers so far. Are Mercedes really back in the mix? 

P2 times show them right in the thick of it, but will they be there still be there come the weekend?

1) George Russell	Mercedes	1:29.938
2) Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.106
3) Sergio Perez	Red Bull	+0.212
4) Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.241
5) Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.434
6) Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.597
7) Pierre Gasly	Alpha Tauri	+0.609
8) Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo	+0.922
9) Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.923
10) Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+0.983
11) Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.026
12) Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.270
13) Yuki Tsunoda	Alpha Tauri	+1.322
14) Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.455
15) Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.649
16) Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.693
17) Alex Albon	Williams	+1.772
18) Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.975
19) Max Verstappen	Red Bull	No time set
20) Valterri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	No time set

chillidoggy

He's sticking two fingers up to the the FIA. That is all.

thumpingrug

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

Anywho, body piercings aside, what are everyone's predictions for the weekend? The new track seems like a real handful for the drivers so far. Are Mercedes really back in the mix? 

P2 times show them right in the thick of it, but will they be there still be there come the weekend?

1) George Russell	Mercedes	1:29.938
2) Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.106
3) Sergio Perez	Red Bull	+0.212
4) Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.241
5) Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.434
6) Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.597
7) Pierre Gasly	Alpha Tauri	+0.609
8) Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo	+0.922
9) Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.923
10) Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+0.983
11) Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.026
12) Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.270
13) Yuki Tsunoda	Alpha Tauri	+1.322
14) Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.455
15) Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.649
16) Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.693
17) Alex Albon	Williams	+1.772
18) Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.975
19) Max Verstappen	Red Bull	No time set
20) Valterri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	No time set

Whilst great to see Mercedes back in the mix, is it due to the specific nature of this track or due to changes they have made to the car.  We need so see a couple more races to be sure.

Kilgore

Cols said:

What would the likes of Nuvolari, Fangio and Moss have made of a World Champion threatening not to race because he’s not allowed to have bits of metal through his face on track?

Back in their day, bits of metal through their face would have been a concern. More than likely it would have been part of the car. 

chillidoggy

Sainz binned his car again. He’s costing Ferrari a fortune.

Cols

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

Anywho, body piercings aside, what are everyone's predictions for the weekend? The new track seems like a real handful for the drivers so far. Are Mercedes really back in the mix? 

P2 times show them right in the thick of it, but will they be there still be there come the weekend?

1) George Russell	Mercedes	1:29.938
2) Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.106
3) Sergio Perez	Red Bull	+0.212
4) Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.241
5) Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.434
6) Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.597
7) Pierre Gasly	Alpha Tauri	+0.609
8) Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo	+0.922
9) Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.923
10) Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+0.983
11) Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.026
12) Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.270
13) Yuki Tsunoda	Alpha Tauri	+1.322
14) Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.455
15) Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.649
16) Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.693
17) Alex Albon	Williams	+1.772
18) Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.975
19) Max Verstappen	Red Bull	No time set
20) Valterri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	No time set

While I’d love this to mean that Merc are on top of their problems and back in the title hunt, I fear their good Friday showing is a combination of upgrades and specific circumstances.

The porpoising is as bad as ever, but the speed at which it kicks in has been raised.  It’s a low downforce track, and Merc have brought a new lower-drag rear wing and an updated front wing.

It’s also blisteringly hot in Miami, which will help alleviate the trouble they’ve had building heat in their tyres for a qualifying run.

My bet is for the Ferraris to top qualifying, with the Mercs in with a genuine podium chance.

RiftAmps

P3 just finished...Merc porpoising back worse as ever. RB and Ferrari stretching their legs now although Max doesn't look as comfortable as Checo and Charles.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Good quali last night. Amazing how close the top two teams are given it's a brand new track with a pretty long lap time. Max will be kicking himself badly for "fucking it". 

Hero of the day has to be Bottas though!