Alright when was that again.....?

[Terry Rock]

I disagree when i watched in 90's there where 25 starters. But at the back there was a lack of talent. Less teams makes it harder to earn a seat or even pay for a seat. So drivers with less talent are less likely to get a drive. F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport. For that reason we need the best drivers in the world taking the seats. Or rich mediocre drivers paying their way in. More slower drivers at the back just filling up the grid will cause accidents and drama. There is enough congestion in F1 at the mid and back of the pack.

Bigger driver numbers have never been the reason for accidents in F1.
As to wanting the most talented in the sport... Look at the list of drivers currently without a seat in F1.
Look at those under threat of never getting back in due to too few teams
You've got talented guys like Sergio Perez...possibly on the way out for good.
As to back-markers....Alonso started in a Minardi... Vettel a Toro Rosso... Schumacher a Jordan for one race.
Those teams were vital for guys to 'hone' their driving skill by learning how to handle a difficult car.

 

[ZuneGuy]

mod edit: no personal attacks

 

[fatal4you]

Bigger driver numbers have never been the reason for accidents in F1.
As to wanting the most talented in the sport... Look at the list of drivers currently without a seat in F1.
Look at those under threat of never getting back in due to too few teams
You've got talented guys like Sergio Perez...possibly on the way out for good.
As to back-markers....Alonso started in a Minardi... Vettel a Toro Rosso... Schumacher a Jordan for one race.
Those teams were vital for guys to 'hone' their driving skill by learning how to handle a difficult car.

Senna in a Toleman.

 

[Antony Snook]

Senna in a Toleman.

Yes there where more teams then and some would be to slow to make the start. But there where more retirements so the numbers drastically reduced over a Grandprix. You lost half the field to retirement now you loose a quarter or less.

 

[Antony Snook]

Bigger driver numbers have never been the reason for accidents in F1.
As to wanting the most talented in the sport... Look at the list of drivers currently without a seat in F1.
Look at those under threat of never getting back in due to too few teams
You've got talented guys like Sergio Perez...possibly on the way out for good.
As to back-markers....Alonso started in a Minardi... Vettel a Toro Rosso... Schumacher a Jordan for one race.
Those teams were vital for guys to 'hone' their driving skill by learning how to handle a difficult car.

I agree but talent is coming into mid pack and sometimes the front. A big problem in the sport is drivers are well marketed and move up to fast. Because they don't want to start out in a bad car. I realy feel sad for Russell he deserves a better team.

 

[Littlefysh]

Early circuits always seemed to focus on emulating the local roads (think Road America & Nordschleife), so given the difference in roads between the two areas I think a difference in early circuit design is a given.

Modern circuits? Not so much. Look at COTA, Indianapolis GP and others like them, very similar to newer or recently refurbished European circuits like Paul Ricard, Istanbul or Sochi.

Of course there's a sub-category of circuits rarely seen anywhere but the US in rovals. Incomparable to much else places like Daytona, Charlotte and the aforementioned Indianapolis (although not so much in my Indy GP in my opinion) hold a unique challenge balancing oval sections and areas that reflect a 'typical' European circuit. And in addition to all this the three rovals I mentioned are all wildly different, probably because the ovals they are based inside of are all wildly different themselves.

And all of this isn't even mentioning the alteration of circuits to meet Grade A F1 standards, which arguably ruins them.

Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of differences. But then the tracks and the racing itself has wildly different roots (apart car go fast of course).

 

[Durge Driven]

Ferrari juniors Schumacher, Ilott and Shwartzman reflect on ‘unforgettable’ Fiorano test | Formula 1®

With their Formula 1 Free Practice 1 debuts looming on the horizon, Ferrari gave their junior drivers Mick Schumacher, Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman the chance to test a 2018 Ferrari SF71H on their legendary Fiorano test track this week – with the three F2 drivers revelling in an...

www.formula1.com

 

[Terry Rock]

One of the worst things Formula One did in recent years, was the extreme limits to testing.
It put the 'brakes' on much of the new driver development and severely curtailed innovation by some of the smaller teams.
I remember when in 2005-2006 Renault...with less power, brought Alonso mass dampers and gave Ferrari fits.
At the time Ferrari was outspending everybody by a massive margin.
Those cuts in testing were done from a cost cutting standpoint but as with everything in the sport, teams always find a way to increase spending behind the scenes.
The act was an attempt to reel in larger teams but I think it ended up hurting smaller teams just as badly.
It did not have the effect F1 desired.
Larger teams have lots of divisions and as with any business (despite what you are told)...can re-allocate duties to non-F1 branded areas but still interpret the raw data.
Smaller teams do not have those same resources, so they rely on 'trying' new and innovative things on track.
Curtailing the essence of what this sport is about...in an attempt to try to appear more 'green' has implications.
Young, new talent has unfortunately become the casualty.

 

[fatal4you]

Yes there where more teams then and some would be to slow to make the start. But there where more retirements so the numbers drastically reduced over a Grandprix. You lost half the field to retirement now you loose a quarter or less.

And that was entertaining.

 

[farjam]

In other breaking news, Honda will leave F1 after 2021 season :|
so Redbull need an engine and they have agreed to stay in F1 for 5-6 years...

By some mutual agreement (i believe from the concord thing) the works teams who are engine suppliers with the lowest number of teams running their engines [Renault in this case, Oh boy] have to supply them, unless Red bull find another one.

 

[Paul Jeffrey]

Honda have announced their exit from Formula One at the end of the 2021 season, leaving Red Bull and AlphaTauri without an engine supply heading into the new 2022 regulations era.

Honda made a much hyped return to Grand Prix racing at the start of the 2015 season, however the initial excitement around the Japanese factory returning to Grand Prix racing would quickly dissolve into an acrimonious split with the McLaren team following years of underperformance by both organizations.

Moving over to first AlphaTauri and then Red Bull, recent years have seen something of an upturn in form for the manufacturer, with both teams able to secure wins and regular podiums against the backdrop of Mercedes continued domination.

With Red Bull firmly placing their hopes on a renewed title challenge come 2022, the first season of the new car regulations and cost cap initiate, today's shock announcement that Honda will be withdrawing from the sport at the end of next season has caused considerable damage to the former championship winning squads' future prospects - with little in the way of alternative options available to the Milton Keynes based team.

"We look forward to embarking on a new era of innovation, development and success," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner, in response to the shock announcement this morning.​

​

"As a group, we will now take the time afforded to us to further evaluate and find the most competitive power unit solution for 2022 and beyond.”​

Red Bull, and sister team AlphaTauri have both recently signed a new Concord Agreement document with Formula One, committing both groups to the championship until at least the end of the 2025 season - leaving the team a significant amount of work to do in order to secure a competitive future in the years to come.

From a Honda perspective, the Japanese car giant noted current global economic concerns and a "once-in-one-hundred-years period of great transformation" for the automotive industry as the driver for their announcement - leaving just Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari as power unit suppliers in the top level of international motorsports from 2022.


Original Source: HONDA

 

[dd11]

Formula1 Mercedes Championship (

 

[Salvatore Sirignano]

The fewer manufacturers in F1 the better, they don't compete for passion but for advertising. There should be a 20 year enforced gap between leaving and returning to F1 under the same guise. The moment there's a downturn they pack up and sod off, leaving behind a half empty grid in their wake, but only after spiralling the costs beyond privateers' means and forcing them out. There are engine builders that exist for motorsport, Cosworth, Zytek etc, F1 world be miles better if all the manufacturers went and left it to privateers and the above engine producers with a realistic budget cap.

 

[LeSunTzu]

This looks like the first step towards the end of gas-powered Formula 1.

 

[BrainsBush]

For the insiders very close to RedBullRacing and Honda this was already 'old news'. For us outsiders this could be a surprisingly breaking news article on the Friday morning (CET).

RedBull already knows who their future engine supplier is. They already knew when singing the Concord Agreement. We have to wait until the announcements to somewhere late 2021?

 

[Durge Driven]

I been saying for decade they need 1 engine
But one manufacturer can't build them, even if they do not compete could still be perceived conflict of interests supplying certain teams with best engines on dyno

Must be a joint effort from a number of manufactures to build best engine ever
Teams would get engines by drawing numbers nothing fairer then that
teams build chassis
Give them more choice of tyres
Then have 2 days racing 3 races at 50% distance triple points 3 chances to get it right it wrong

So 50% more racing, faster cars with 1/2 the fuel load what is 50KG worth a lap ?
Level playing field then we really see what car design and drivers are best

amen

 

[Turk]

Stick a Mercedes engine in the red bull an give us some.races to watch.

 

[Will Mazeo]

It was a bigger surprise when they announced they were back in F1 lol
Hope they can bring a new manufacturer for next rule cycle.
And F1 need to ban some materials to make these engines cheaper. There is no way this thing should cost this much. Many racing engines out there produce more power and would be cheaper even if you'd blow one per weekend...

 

[Enagee]

Renault is the only option. But I can't see that now Renault are getting competitive and Alonso back, and after all the bad blood with Renault.

Who knows maybe the FIA team I mean Ferrari might let them have piece and dump Hass. They will be competitive soon.

 

[RichardHessels]

They don't need one engine, just make the engine and electronics needed for the cars to be more simple.
Get more off the shelf parts available.
Many manufacturers wanted to enter if it does not take a billion dollars to produce a engine that can compete with Mercedes.