GPWizard F1 Forum
F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: Scott on June 13, 2016, 08:32:37 AM
-
The circus heads to Azerbaijan for the first time in history this weekend. A race so new the FOM hasn't had a chance to figure out how long it is...they just have "TBC" beside lap counts, race distance and that sort of thing - https://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/championship/races/2016/Europe.html
A beautiful picturesque city of 2million, predominantly Muslim, it is situated on the west coast of the Caspian Sea. Located 28m below sea level, Baku is the lowest lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world located below sea level. The world’s very first oil well was drilled just south of Baku and by the beginning of the 20th century Azerbaijan was supplying almost half of the world’s oil.
Sitting out on a peninsula on the west side of the vast Caspian Sea, Baku is known for it's brutal winter storms and ever present strong winds. How this will affect the race remains to be seen.
Part of Iran until the Russians took it in 1723, gave it back and took it again in 1813. For a short time after the first world war, Baku enjoyed autonomy, but the Russians came back in 1920 and reinstalled the Bolsheviks and it remained under Russian control until the fall of the Soviet Union. Almost immediately they demolished most of the Soviet era buildings built along the coast and opened a greenbelt of parkland and beaches that has transformed the city into a Caspian Riviera.
Still truly an oil town, the modern petroleum industry is busy developing new sources around the city and it continues to fuel one of Eastern Europe's (or Northern Middle East) strongest economies.
Notorious for it's night life, Baku is on the top 10 list of party cities in the world according to Lonely Planet.
A true city track with zero runoff areas, this is shaping up to be another Monaco style race, but with higher speeds. A good Youtube preview is below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkfIFBvhX4o
-
Bernie's way of making sure that no F1 drivers can drive at Le Mans. Nico Hulkenburg was a driver in last year's winning P1 car.
-
Bernie's way of making sure that no F1 drivers can drive at Le Mans. Nico Hulkenburg was a driver in last year's winning P1 car.
I'm surprised that Bernie has miscaculated this one. F1 drivers are suposed to be Gods amongst men. Having them dominate other classes in their spare time would play into this narrative.
Instead, it makes it look like F1 is scared of LeMans
-
I also wonder why it isn't The Grand Prix of Azerbaijan. The GP of Europe name was previously used when they wanted to stick a second race in a country with a very popular driver (Germany during Schumi's run, Spain for Alonso, etc).
-
I also wonder why it isn't The Grand Prix of Azerbaijan. The GP of Europe name was previously used when they wanted to stick a second race in a country with a very popular driver (Germany during Schumi's run, Spain for Alonso, etc).
That is an easy answer, a lot of people want more European races, and it's not clear that Azerbaijan in Europe. Also sends the signal that the race is for sale to highest bidder.
I think it was a pretty good use of the name.
-
There are a few interesting tid-bits in this article I found on Crash.net.
http://www.crash.net/f1/feature/231270/1/baku-gp-6-things-you-need-to-know.html
-
it's not clear that Azerbaijan is in Europe.
You mean like having the U.S. Grand Prix in Texas? ;)
-
There are a few interesting tid-bits in this article I found on Crash.net.
http://www.crash.net/f1/feature/231270/1/baku-gp-6-things-you-need-to-know.html
What's also interesting is the Flame Towers, the three distinctive towers you see in almost every picture of Baku, are covered in some 10,000 (surely that is an underestimate or typo - probably more like a million or 10 million) LEDs which transform the facades into display screens.
I don't think the race will highlight them as it is an afternoon early evening race, but maybe they will show some of the nightlife shots there and we'll get to see them in action.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_Towers
-
Baku is giving the teams some challenges in trying to predict setups. I'm starting to get excited about this one...
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124795/baku-track-set-to-create-setup-dilemmas
And Channel 4 will be broadcasting Live...see ya there Ian ;)
http://f1.channel4.com
-
Another interesting link with a ton of Baku info from the BBCF1 website.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/36489275
And another article on short lived races...will Baku join the club?
http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/36514213
-
The farce of Indianapolis????? 19 years as an F1 venue (1950-1960, 2000-2007) and most of those as the largest attendance race of the year. I was at the 2005 race. It clearly wasn't The Speedway's fault. The blame was squarely on the FIA (that's the French initials for The Root of All Evil.) The smallest attendance at the USGP @ Indianapolis was still one of the largest of that year, and bigger than that largest at The Cow Pasture.
-
Totally agree Cos, Indy's demise was nothing like the rest...for one thing it was the only new track in the last 20 years where the venue actually made a profit every year it ran the GP. Bernie couldn't live with that, so he moved the goalposts.
-
Virtual lap of Baku
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZuStK4qUq8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZuStK4qUq8)
-
FP1 - Sorry for the lousy formatting...I'll look to a better source than Autosport for the next timing post.
Unusually DR stuck his RBR in the wall bringing out a 10minute red flag. Max had mechanical issues and spent most of FP1 in the garage.
Lewis topped the timesheet as I expected. We'll see what happens in the afternoon.
PRACTICE ONE TIMES
Pos Driver Car Time Gap Laps
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m46.435s - 23
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m46.812s 0.377s 32
3 Valtteri Bottas Williams/Mercedes 1m47.096s 0.661s 34
4 Fernando Alonso McLaren/Honda 1m47.989s 1.554s 21
5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1m48.627s 2.192s 26
6 Sergio Perez Force India/Mercedes 1m48.922s 2.487s 17
7 Jenson Button McLaren/Honda 1m49.019s 2.584s 21
8 Felipe Massa Williams/Mercedes 1m49.125s 2.690s 22
9 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso/Ferrari 1m49.267s 2.832s 16
10 Nico Hulkenberg Force India/Mercedes 1m49.301s 2.866s 27
11 Romain Grosjean Haas/Ferrari 1m49.611s 3.176s 20
12 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m49.635s 3.200s 16
13 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull/Renault 1m49.778s 3.343s 17
14 Esteban Gutierrez Haas/Ferrari 1m50.167s 3.732s 25
15 Marcus Ericsson Sauber/Ferrari 1m50.473s 4.038s 18
16 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Renault 1m50.485s 4.050s 7
17 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso/Ferrari 1m50.551s 4.116s 19
18 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1m50.910s 4.475s 25
19 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1m50.939s 4.504s 27
20 Pascal Wehrlein Manor/Mercedes 1m51.219s 4.784s 24
21 Felipe Nasr Sauber/Ferrari 1m51.771s 5.336s 11
22 Rio Haryanto Manor/Mercedes 1m51.925s 5.490s 28
-
They've found a problem I don't remember having heard of before. After FP1, Pirelli reported that 90% of the left rears showed cuts. The track was inspected and they found that the steel F1 curbs (kerbs for you Brits) were coming undone. The GP2 practice was cancelled while repairs were made. The individual panels were then welded together & all of the mounting screws tightened.
It doesn't seem like it worked. I'm watching FP2 right now. They just showed a slo-mo of some of the curbing literally flapping as Vettel drove over it.
-
It's now about 16:00 into FP2. Race Control just ordered all drivers to avoid the curbing in Turn 6.
-
They've found a problem I don't remember having heard of before. After FP1, Pirelli reported that 90% of the left rears showed cuts. The track was inspected and they found that the steel F1 curbs (kerbs for you Brits) were coming undone. The GP2 practice was cancelled while repairs were made. The individual panels were then welded together & all of the mounting screws tightened.
It doesn't seem like it worked. I'm watching FP2 right now. They just showed a slo-mo of some of the curbing literally flapping as Vettel drove over it.
I remember this happening before... maybe at Singapore? Maybe one of the desert races in its first season?
-
Both Ferraris had drive line issues at the end of FP2. Seb's pit radioed him that he had problems with the K (the KERS generator on the gearbox) quote, "the same as Kimi."
I was impressed to see how many SAFER barriers there are around the track. I'm concerned about the tight area around the castle. There are sure to be shunts in a section that is so narrow and twisty. I didn't see any snatch cranes in that area. I didn't see any place to even put one. That means we'll end up with heavy equipment running on track for quite a ways while active cars ate still circulating. Not good.
-
Yes, sort of like the drain grates coming up in China (?). The fix too is similar - welding them.
FFP-2 results are a bit curious, and show, I think, some confusion among the teams and drivers (even within a team) on how to set up the cars. It is a nightmare for the aeros guys.
1. Hamilton Mercedes 1m 44.223
2. Rosberg Mercedes 1m 44.913
3. Perez Force India 1m 45.336
4. Bottas Williams 1m 45.764
5. Hulkenberg Force India 1m 45.920
6. Sainz Toro Rosso 1m 46.027
7. Verstappen Red Bull 1m 46.068
8. Vettel Ferrari 1m 46.219
9. Button McLaren 1m 46.234
10. Ricciardo Red Bull 1m 46.293
11. Alonso McLaren 1m 46.498
12. Grosjean Haas 1m 46.681
13. Raikkonen Ferrari 1m 46.694
14. Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m 46.744
15. Gutierrez Haas 1m 46.830
16. Massa Williams 1m 47.060
17. Magnussen Renault 1m 47.329
18. Haryanto Manor 1m 47.487
19. Ericsson Sauber 1m 47.772
20. Palmer Renault 1m 47.794
21. Wehrlein Manor 1m 48.018
22. Nasr Sauber 1m 48.081
-
NBC also said that Renault doesn't have any spare tubs with them. Their drivers have destroyed every other tub they have.
I want to give a thumbs up to Nico Rosberg. His car packed it in out on the course. He them spent a good bit of time posing for pictures with the marshals. That's the way to build a fan base in a new market. :good:
-
I'm pleasantly surprised by some elements of the track. They have located it well, and thanks to the castle and the trees, it does have an atmosphere. Some of the corners are a bit bland and I foresee issues in the race if there's a collision in some of the tight sections, but it has made a much better first impression on me than a number of other recent new venues, such as those in Russia, South Korea, and India.
Mercedes and teams with a Mercedes engine look to have a significant advantage so far in practice. Red Bull are struggling to make up for lost time this morning, it was very unusual to see Ricciardo crash, while Ferrari look off the pace to me. Force India look strong though, as does Bottas in the Williams, so there could be some surprises.
-
There is one thing that reminds me of the F1 course at Indianapolis. (Pause while waiting for those who just fainted to recover.) The track is half high speed, low downforce and half twisties, high downforce. The real trick in setting up the car is where to find the right balance between those two, polar opposite needs. The better the car is on one section, the worse it will be on the other. :yahoo:
-
I also wonder if the fact that it is often quite narrow will catch drivers out during qualifying - not being able to stay out of the way when on a in lap - and "blocking" someone on a hot lap because there is nowhere for them to go to get out of the way.
Really, turn 7 - 10, especially the beginning of it doesn't appear wide enough to put two cars next to each other with help of a crane.
-
Saturday practice has some surprises.
1. Hamilton Mercedes 1m 44.352
2. Rosberg Mercedes 1m 44.610
4. Hulkenberg Force India 1m 45.540
4. Ricciardo Red Bull 1m 45.620
5. Vettel Ferrari 1m 45.630
6. Perez Force India 1m 45.735
7. Verstappen Red Bull 1m 45.901
8. Button McLaren 1m 45.954
9. Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m 45.981
10. Raikkonen Ferrari 1m 46.024
11. Alonso McLaren 1m 46.131
12. Sainz Toro Rosso 1m 46.910
13. Grosjean Haas 1m 46.361
14. Massa Williams 1m 46.510
15. Gutierrez Haas i 1m 46.670
16. Magnussen Renault 1m 47.024
17. Wehrlein MRT 1m 47.100s
18. Palmer Renault 1m 47.158
19. Ericsson Sauber 1m 47.328
20. Nasr Sauber 1m 47.379
21. Haryanto MRT 1m 47.556
22. Bottas Williams No time :o
-
Qualifying has set up some very interesting possibilities for tomorrow.
1. Rosberg Mercedes 1m 42.758
2. Perez Force India 1m 43.515*
3. Ricciardo Red Bull 1m 43.966
4. Vettel Ferrari 1m 43.966
5. Raikkonen Ferrari 1m 44.269
6. Massa Williams 1m 44.483
7. Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m 44.717
8. Bottas Williams 1m 45.246
9. Verstappen Red Bull 1m 45.570
10. Hamilton Mercedes 2m 01.954
11. Grosjean Haas 1m 44.755
12. Hulkenberg Force India 1m 44.824
13. Sainz Toro Rosso 1m 45.000
14. Alonso McLaren 1m 45.270
15. Gutierrez Haas 1m 45.349
16. Nasr Sauber 1m 46.048
17. Haryanto MRT 1m 45.665
18. Wehrlein MRT 1m 45.750
19. Button McLaren 1m 45.804
20. Ericsson Sauber 1m 46.231
21. Magnussen Renault 1m 46.348
22. Palmer Renault 1m 46.394
Interesting results and the start will be crucial.
With Perez having a 5 spot penalty, moving Ricciardo to the front row, Rosberg will need his best start of the season.
Ferrari lock out second row.
I think there will likely be tows in addition to the DRS on the start/finish straight.
-
One big safety issue worries me, drivers reversing out of the escape roads straight onto the circuit, vision out of their wing mirrors is well known for not being good, it only takes one impatient driver to reverse straight into the path of a car at racing speed and you will have a horrific accident.
-
That was the most tense qualifying session of the year, because all the yellow flags meant that nobody could guarantee a clean lap when they needed it.
I feel that Hamilton missed a huge opportunity today. Rosberg had been on the back foot by comparison all weekend, and Hamilton has uncharacteristically surrendered the initiative. That error strewn performance and the contact with the wall could be very costly. Even if Rosberg is beaten off the line by Ricciardo or Vettel, or even both of them, they don't have the pace to beat Mercedes, so Hamilton is relying on a DNF for Rosberg to not allow Nico to open up a larger points lead in the championship again.
Pérez was the star of qualifying. Such a pity he made that mistake at the end of practice three. I really dislike this gearbox rule. It's bad enough getting the penalty when it suffers a mechanical failure, but to be penalised when it's broken by contact is even more over the top. It dissuades the drivers from pushing hard, and surely that's what we want to see. Time for a rethink on that rule in my opinion.
Ricciardo pulled out a great lap, but Red Bull don't seem to have the race pace here, while Ferrari look good to pick up the podium spots, even though they are off the pace themselves.
Finally, an excellent performance from Manor and a truly woeful performance from Renault.
The mixed up grid could lead to a very exciting and incident filled race.
-
I would agree with the incident filled race comment.
It was good to mix up the grid like it is, and I agree with Irisado about the problem with getting clean laps in when needed. That seems the nature of the beast for this one. I like it, but it will probably not affect the outcome of the race much in the end.
The nearly mile-long start/finish straight will allow any faster car to overtake because, as we saw in qualifying, not only is it a long DRS zone, the drafting was incredible. I think, barring a break down, the finish will likely see Rosberg, Hamilton, a Ferrari or Red Bull on the podium, unless Perez can put together a race full of qualifying performance, in which case he could easily stand on the third spot of the podium. Both Williams should finish in the points, both FIF1 have a real shot at points and so too do McLarens. Both STR cars and at least one Haas could score, especially if there is a problem with someone ahead of them.
I do anticipate a few Safety Cars, but the laps under it per incident should not be many given the length of the lap.
-
I agree it's an anything-can-happen race with that massive straight. It will be critical for Rosberg to stay ahead of Ricciardo on the first lap or I fear he's going to make a big mistake in panicked attempts to overtake. As long as Hamilton has recovered from his Q jitters, he could realistically lead by the end, especially if Rosberg has taken himself out of the race. My biggest fear of the silly narrow runoff areas is that the stewards are going to be passing out penalties like free booze at a casino when racers disobey the yellow rules.
-
Wow - how boring :-[ :-[ :-[
1. Rosberg Mercedes 51 laps 1,32:52.366
2. Vettel Ferrari +16.6
3. Perez Force India +25.2
4. Raikkonen Ferrari +33.1
5. Hamilton Mercedes +56.3
6. Bottas Williams +60.8
7. Ricciardo Red Bull +69.2
8. Hulkenberg Force India +70.6
9. Verstappen Red Bull- +77.7
10. Massa Williams +85.3
11. Button McLaren +1:44.8
12. Nasr Sauber +1 lap
13. Magnussen Renault +1 lap
14. Grosjean Haas +1 lap
15. Palmer Renault +1 lap
16. Gutierrez Haas +1 lap
17. Ericsson Sauber +1 lap
18. Haryanto MRT +2 laps
Not Classified
Rtd. Alonso McLaren-Honda
Rtd. Wehrlein MRT
Rtd. Sainz Toro Rosso-Ferrari
Rtd. Kvyat RUS Toro Rosso-Ferrari
Fastest lap
Rosberg Mercedes 1:46.485 - Lap 48
Driver of the race has to be Perez. :yahoo:
I wonder, had he started on the front row, could he have beaten Vettel's Ferrari? I think the answer is a "yes" he would have.
A very big Bravo Zulu to Force-India for their race with both cars showing well and a huge points haul for them.
Red Bull may have pulled Ricciardo in too soon for the first stop.
Williams may have pulled Massa in too soon for the second and then put him on the wrong tire as well.
Hamilton radio was almost funny, as was Kimi's.
Hamilton was told to basically not play with the knobs on the steering wheel, but he did and ended up going faster all of a sudden - much faster.
Kimi was told we can't tell you what we think the problem is and what we would recommend to fix it.
-
Jim I had Verstappen in 8th.I checked Sky and they too had
Max in 8th.If I'm wrong let me know.Thanks
-
What a disappointing race. Nothing happened at all. The scenery and atmosphere kept me awake, thank goodness, as did Perez's run to a very well deserved third place. Other than that, it was the most boring race of the season thus far, and that was a pity, because the city and the track had put on an impressive show up until that point.
-
Moved, as I apparently can't read and posted in the wrong thread...