Fastest lap in last year's Australia GP: 1:30.03 (Raikkonen) Fastest lap in 2014 FP3: 1:29.375 (Rosberg)
Qualifying was intense. Very surprised with some of the results...like who didn't make out out of Q2 when a teammate was fighting for pole.
OK....I must have missed this, but how are Ferrari and Mercedes able to get away w/o having the "probe" on the front of the car?
Just finished watching quali on dvr. It was awesome and some results were absolutely unexpected. Can't wait for the race!
All the teams are keeping their bulkhead (front of the monocoque, where the nose attaches) as high as possible to allow maximum airflow beneath. There's a limit on how high they can make it and they all push the limit. The new rules say the leading edge of the nose, that must be structural and has to survive the crash tests, must be low. Don't remember how low, but they dropped it significantly this year. The aerodynamicists' challenge is to figure out how to save the open space below the nose structure and chassis yet still create a low nose tip that can pass the crash tests. Ferrari and Merc designed noses that drop significantly from the front of the bulkhead. The rest designed noses that cut off fairly high so they're not in the way of the air and added structural "probes" that don't impede the air...as much. Jean Todt says the FIA will look into a rule change because most of the teams followed the letter of the rule but didn't satisfy the intent, which was to improve safety by lowering the front of the cars so they'll be less likely to spear or ride up another car and hit the driver in the head in a collision. My guess is Ferrari and Merc are the only teams that came near the intent of the nose height rule.
I little repost of my own from FB: "Now, I know technically the MOTOR in Electric Motor qualifies it for the Motor Sports, but after hearing the current iteration of F1 cars whistle and whine through turns and brake zones like Anakin Skywalker's pod racer, I am half way expecting Obi-Wan Kenobi to magically appear from the stands and tell me this is NOT the F1 I am looking for."
Mercedes and Red Bull...except the guys who many would have blindly assumed would be behind the wheel of these podium cars were DNFs. Most interesting indeed.
Nice race I enjoyed it. Haven't seen that many dnf's for a long time. I think Williams may have a good year. Bottas had a great drive today & without his wall kissing he may well have been higher placed. Loved seeing the so called lap dog of Vettal trounce him in quali & the race.
Wonder what would have happened if Jensen had caught up with Magnussen? Sounds like the team was preparing to let them both drive for the podium spot.
Yup, though the team are adamant the problem wasn't real -- a sensor issue -- and are appealing the decision. To avoid the spoiler I'll post a link this time and just say there's been an important post-race disqualification and exclusion!
Anyone else notice that these wheels were not the ones that were actually in the car this weekend......
Well them's the rules, as stupid as they seem to us normal folks. I feel sorry for Ricciardo he drove a great race along with a stellar qauli. Not sorry for Red Bull, did they not read the stupid rules?
Not completely, but it's a primary component of my enjoyment of the sport. F1 engines should sound loud, nasty, and the start of the race should resemble the sound of a very large beehive, not the murmur of a bunch of elderly women playing bridge I'll take the factory sound of the 458 Italia any day over the muted sound of Ferrari's F14T. Couple that with the draconian fuel restrictions this year and i am so bummed. The team actually told Magnussen to turn down the wick with 5 laps to go to ensure he would have adequate fuel to turn it back to full rich with 3 laps to go. He might have caught Ricardo and made a play for second if he kept his foot in it the entire time. It's just not F1 racing to me anymore...the movie Rush, that is F1, IMO. The best drivers driving as fast as they can for the entire race with no artificial impediments to hold them back. I know F1 has been adding rules over the years that sanitizes the racing, sometimes to make it safer, sometimes for who knows what reason. And I know there must be progress and the good ole F1 days weren't without issues. I just think they went entirely too far in 2014. I have been an ardent fan for 21 years(started watching the year before the greatest there ever was died in San Marino), and I just feel no excitement for this season. Sure I am going to watch, and I'm sure there will be some interesting developments especially with the driver and team results turned upside down, but it does not hold the interest that it always has for me. And it's the only form of racing I watch. Three F1 friends of mine pinged me after it was over and all said the same thing...no need to spend the money for Austin this year....I agree.