F1 in 2014

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Team DJ said:
I agree, and basically to sport is stuffed. Because Ferrari Mercedes etc are never going to allow coast caps etc. Otherwise theyll just walk out and start anoter version of F1. A 3rd car is the only future i can see. Maybe with a rule that the 3rd car has to have a Driver with less than 3 years experience, or its a year old model, something like that.
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Because the rules change each year, the option of running last year's car isn't viable.

As stated before the only real options are 3 car teams or customer cars. Both are extremely unlikely given that it is only three months before the 2015 cars are launched.
 
What I'd like to see is more cars, more racing, more overtaking (and not just through manufactured speed advantage - tactical/technical) - I presume most feel the same way. The pursuit of perfection reduces the quality of racing.

Would it provide economies of scale to build extra cars/equipment for "off-the-shelf" style teams? Substantially increase the fields?

Allow for teams to enter either one or two cars as independent entries, taking a 'shell' at the start of the season and then developing themselves? Competing accross part of the season, whole season, every second race, etc.

Standardized engine and vehicle contracts - perhaps even on a 'per race' basis (so the nation's top driver(s) get a chance in their home country) - strict maintenance of competive times (eg 105% of pole, etc)

It's not F1, but it could be?
 
Simon_Nesbit said:
What I'd like to see is more cars, more racing, more overtaking (and not just through manufactured speed advantage - tactical/technical) - I presume most feel the same way. The pursuit of perfection reduces the quality of racing.

Would it provide economies of scale to build extra cars/equipment for "off-the-shelf" style teams? Substantially increase the fields?

Allow for teams to enter either one or two cars as independent entries, taking a 'shell' at the start of the season and then developing themselves? Competing accross part of the season, whole season, every second race, etc.

Standardized engine and vehicle contracts - perhaps even on a 'per race' basis (so the nation's top driver(s) get a chance in their home country) - strict maintenance of competive times (eg 105% of pole, etc)

It's not F1, but it could be?
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What you are describing is the Customer car concept. The F1 teams voted that one down a few years ago, Red Bull and Toro Rosso tried it, but it failed because of a rule that teams have to design their own car.

FWIW I believe customer cars are the only way that the smaller teams can survive in F1.
 

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Sven said:
What you are describing is the Customer car concept. The F1 teams voted that one down a few years ago, Red Bull and Toro Rosso tried it, but it failed because of a rule that teams have to design their own car.

FWIW I believe customer cars are the only way that the smaller teams can survive in F1.
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But then it gets embarrassing for the big teams when Super Aguri beat Honda, or STR beat RBR. Which did happen a few times in the mid 2000s
 
Team DJ said:
But then it gets embarrassing for the big teams when Super Aguri beat Honda, or STR beat RBR. Which did happen a few times in the mid 2000s
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A "B Spec" car in the hands of Vettel certainly contributed to his ascent up the drivers standings - but I don't see anything wrong with that. And the same goes for customer cars that are developed quickly by a small band of talented engineers (see Super Aguri in 2007). I'd much rather see a competitive customer car in F1 than a team that needs everything to go right for it in one race in three years to get some lone points.

Young talented drivers should have the opportunity to shine and at the moment it's a group of pay drivers that are filling the seats of the back markers instead of more deserving drivers. Only one GP2 driver (Gutiérrez) out of the six that finished in the top 3 in 2012 and 2013 has made it into F1, which doesn't seem right.
 
Letter from Caterham, Marussia, Sauber and Force India to Jean Todt pleading for a cost cap to come in reveals the costs for an average F1 team:

Hybrid power system $28 million
Gearbox and hydraulics $5 million
Fuel and lubricants $1.5 million
Tyres $1.8 million
Electronics $1.95 million
IT $3 million
Salaries $20 million
Travel and trackside facilities $12 million
Chassis production/manufacturing $20 million
Windtunnel/CFD facilities $18.5 million
Utilities and factory maintenance $2 million
HR and professional services $1.5 million
Freight $5 million
TOTAL $120.25 million

And all this does NOT include driver salaries, building leases, hospitality, marketing and media. ******* insanity.
 
Radical idea.
No B teams customer cars etc, what if you were allowed to fill between 1 & 3 cars, a bit like Indy Car does

I would guess
Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and RedBull would go 3.
Williams Lotus Force India and STR would have 2.
Sauber Marussia and Caterham have 1.
 
Team DJ said:
Radical idea.
No B teams customer cars etc, what if you were allowed to fill between 1 & 3 cars, a bit like Indy Car does

I would guess
Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and RedBull would go 3.
Williams Lotus Force India and STR would have 2.
Sauber Marussia and Caterham have 1.
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Constructors title goes on driver average from at least 2 drivers?
 
Team DJ said:
Radical idea.
No B teams customer cars etc, what if you were allowed to fill between 1 & 3 cars, a bit like Indy Car does

I would guess
Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and RedBull would go 3.
Williams Lotus Force India and STR would have 2.
Sauber Marussia and Caterham have 1.
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Constructors Championship ceases to exist?
 
ManWithNoName said:
Constructors Championship ceases to exist?
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Does it though?

The teams are pretty well grouped how you expect them to finish anyways.
If a team wants to rise up the constructors and reap the rewards of what comes with it, then they need to spend the cash on another car.
Risk running the extra car v reward of ranking in the constructors
 
Anyone here use Ozsale? They've got a heap of Caterham team wear reduced. I guess they're scrounging every last penny..
 

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I remember watching an old doco years ago. The last time there were small fields in F1 (late 60s). I forgot the reason, but March were then allowed to build customer cars, along with fielding a factory team, which along with buying a customer Ford engine, fields then blew out for the early 70s, and the limit of 26 cars for an F1 grid was set.

The people concerned should take the pole out of their arse and make changes accordingly, but they like it there too much.
 
@McLarenF1: Getting set for Silverstone tomorrow for a filming day. We'll be parading the interim Honda-engined MP4-29H/1X1 & 2 classic McLaren-Hondas.
 
darth_timon said:
I have a sneaky feeling McLaren are going to strong next season.
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If they get Alonso, would assume some greater consistency in pushing for a podium if that Honda is up to the task being a year behind. Fully expect the Merc works team to dominate again mind you.
 
They need to look at ways to make the sport cheaper, we don't want to see races with 16 or 18 cars in it. There needs to be teams interested in joining the category when teams like Marussia and Caterham fall over. Teams come and go at the back end of the grid a lot, while individually they aren't missed, they do play a vital role in the sport
 
My personal look back at the 2014 F1 season...

After nineteen races, nervous tension and plenty of drama, the 2014 Formula 1 season has come to an end.
Newly crowned world champion Lewis Hamilton took 11 wins over the course of the season, compared to five for his closest rival and teammate Nico Rosberg, but Rosberg's consistency kept him firmly in the title battle going into the final race, though mechanical problems meant Rosberg couldn't challenge Hamilton during the race - though in truth, he needed Hamilton to have a problem anyway.

Whilst the two Mercedes cars were dominant, winning sixteen of the nineteen races, and getting at least one car onto the podium in every race, it wasn't all about the Silver Arrows.

Reigning constructor's champions Red Bull started the season with established world champion Sebastian Vettel in their line-up - and he was joined by Daniel Ricciardo, formerly of Toro Rosso (Red Bull's feeder team).

Ricciardo the future of Red Bull?

It became apparent in his very first race for Red Bull that Daniel had pace. He finished 3rd in Australia, but was unfortunately disqualified for a car infringement. However, in the races that both he and Vettel finished, he would beat his teammate on eleven occasions, whereas Vettel would only finish ahead of Ricciardo three times.

Ricciardo would also win three races (the only man other than Hamilton or Rosberg to win any races), and demonstrated he was not afraid to challenge established stars such as Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and his own teammate. His willingness to go for the overtake made for some exciting racing and he has certainly set himself up nicely for next year.

Williams are Back

After a difficult 2013 that saw Williams struggle to 9th in the championship, a much-improved car and the arrival of experienced driver Felipe Massa, paired with the talented Valtteri Bottas, saw the team gain some great results. They didn't quite manage to win a race, but consistency saw Williams enjoy a strong year. Bottas scored six podium finishes and Massa three, as Williams finished 3rd in the constructor's championship.

Ferrari Flounder

Once again Ferrari have had a year to forget. With the pairing of Fernando Alonso (arguably the most talented driver on the grid at the moment) and Kimi Räikkonen (another driver considered to be quite skilled), it could easily be argued that Ferrari had the best line-up, but as in previous years, Ferrari have not been able to give their drivers the car to match their talents. Alonso would get onto the podium just twice and Räikkonen would not even get close as they struggled with a poor car. Halfway through the season Ferrari replaced team boss Stefano Domenicali with Marco Mattiacci, as they seek to improve for 2015.

McLaren Madness

In a season that saw the most experienced racer on the grid, Jenson Button, partnered with promising rookie Kevin Magnussen, it was experience that proved best as Button consistently outperformed his teammate. Button finished the season with over twice as many points as Magnussen, proving instrumental in helping McLaren finish ahead of Force India, and it is my humble view that he deserves to stay at McLaren next season. Unfortunately, good performances do not guarantee anything in modern F1, so we shall have to wait and see.

The Rest

Not to give short shrift to the rest of the pack, but aside from Force India (who once again did a good job of maximising what they had), there wasn't a lot to shout about for Toro Rosso, Sauber, Caterham or Marussia - with one exception.





Jules Bianchi drove brilliantly at the Monaco Grand Prix to earn Marussia their first ever points in Formula 1 - coming home in 9th. This talented young man sustained life-threatening injuries at the Japanese Grand Prix and I hope and pray that he makes a full recovery.

The Financial Problems

It is an unfortunate and harsh reality that Formula 1 is an expensive business. The cost of the cars, from the design aspect to maintenance, to transporting everything around the world several times, is considerable - and then you have to pay for buildings, pay staff, and deal with all the administrative costs. The manner in which prize money is distributed has come under scrutiny and two smaller teams - Caterham and Marussia - both went into administration following difficulties. The costs of F1 in 2014 have spiraled, given the new technology and changes to regulations that have forced all the teams to invest more in order to meet those regulations.

What the future holds is completely unknown. The bigger teams naturally want to protect their positions and don't want to give up the TV, sponsorship and prize money they currently get. By the same token, they must surely want to avoid a scenario where they are having to run a third car, which could happen if the number of teams drops. Lets hope that the powers that be can make the right decisions to protect all the teams, not just the big ones.

Final Thoughts

It's been a season of close fought battles and high drama. Friends became foes as Hamilton and Rosberg battled it out to be F1's number one. Unfair play was hinted at in Monaco, where Rosberg went off down a slip road and forced Hamilton to abort a hot qualifying lap for pole. Tensions rose considerably after their collision in Belgium, an incident that was deemed to be Rosberg's fault and cost Hamilton dearly.

In the end though, to this humble writer, the best man won. Hamilton won eleven races to five, and in races that he and Rosberg both finished, he beat his teammate nine times to four (which also doesn't factor in the mechanical failure Hamilton had in qualifying for the German Grand Prix).

In the end, both of them finished in the points in the same number of races. Rosberg had two DNFs due to mechanical issues, the same as Hamilton. Rosberg also ended up taking no points at the final round (though he finished) due to mechanical failure. Hamilton took no points in Belgium because Rosberg hit the back of his car and punctured his rear left tyre, which in turn ruined the car's floor, and ultimately forced Hamilton to retire. But what if neither one had any mechanical issues or retirements?

Though Hamilton qualified on pole for the first round in Australia, he failed to finish because of a mechanical problem and Rosberg took the win. If Hamilton had gone on to win, then even if we assume that Rosberg would have stayed ahead of Hamilton in Britain (where it was the German's turn to retire), and if we assume Rosberg would have led Hamilton home in Canada, and if we assume he would have gotten past Hamilton in Belgium, and if we even go as far as to say Rosberg were to have won in Abu Dhabi... well, even with all those assumptions (and as we saw, Hamilton actually breezed into the lead at turn one in Abu Dhabi), Hamilton would still have been champion.

Let us also remember that Hamilton outfought Rosberg in Bahrain, dominated in Malaysia, dominated again in China, outfought him again in Spain, drove brilliantly to finish ahead of Rosberg in Hungary (despite starting from the pit lane after mechanical trouble), got past him in Japan and the USA, and saw Rosberg make unforced errors in Italy and Russia. Hamilton simply out-drove Rosberg most of the time.

Rosberg was consistent. He was measured, and he made sure to get the most out of every race, but he simply didn't have Hamilton's raw speed. That was the difference between the two of them over the course of the whole season.
 
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