2020-21 Formula 1 Off-season threadFormula 1

[Samus]

Oh eventually yes. I am sure that the two series are heading towards each other, like two parallel lines that have just notched the first degree towards the same vanishing point. But the idea of just mushing the two series together any time soon is just obviously ludicrous.

Pretty much, yeah. With Agag himself coming out with this and some of the things he said in that article you have to wonder if they have hit financial issues.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Pretty much, yeah. With Agag himself coming out with this and some of the things he said in that article you have to wonder if they have hit financial issues.

With COVID having made city centre street circuit events nigh-on impossible, no wonder if they would be in financial trouble. F-E might just have to accept racing on proper circuits for the foreseeable future.

 

[Diehardracer]

With COVID having made city centre street circuit events nigh-on impossible, no wonder if they would be in financial trouble. F-E might just have to accept racing on proper circuits for the foreseeable future.

I would support that. Is there anything wrong with it? More chance to overtake surely.

 

[PeterJB]

The first of three Virtual GPs takes place on Sunday. Current confirmed drivers are:

Mercedes
Stoffel Vandoorne

Red Bull
Alex Albon
Jeffrey Herlings

Alpine
Oscar Piastri
Christian Lundgaard

Ferrari
Arthur Leclerc
Marcus Armstrong

AlphaTauri
Vitantonio Liuzzi

Alfa Romeo
Thibaut Cortois

Haas
Pietro Fittipaldi
Enzo Fittipaldi

Williams
George Russell
Nicholas Latifi

 

[TheCracker]

I would support that. Is there anything wrong with it? More chance to overtake surely.

I think one of the original reasons behind the concept, aside from doing something 'different' and trying to appeal to a broader casual audience of city dwellers, was that on regular circuits they may look comparatively pedestrian. Especially on the treaded road-car style tyres it currently runs on. They lap at a similar pace to F3 cars (or did originally) so would be hard to position themselves as anything other than a F3 rival series. They're also limited to a 140mph top speed which isn't ideal for a regular FIA circuit with long straights. There is a new car in the pipeline which will no doubt be a bit quicker and a bit more efficient and a new tyre supplier, all of which may make then better tuned to circuits as we know them.

 

[MaxAttack]

The first of three Virtual GPs takes place on Sunday. Current confirmed drivers are:

Mercedes
Stoffel Vandoorne

Red Bull
Alex Albon
Jeffrey Herlings

Alpine
Oscar Piastri
Christian Lundgaard

Ferrari
Arthur Leclerc
Marcus Armstrong

AlphaTauri
Vitantonio Liuzzi

Alfa Romeo
Thibaut Cortois

Haas
Pietro Fittipaldi
Enzo Fittipaldi

Williams
George Russell
Nicholas Latifi

Poor Albon - can't imagine RB calling him up for this with a straight face.

The Williams drivers of course, are happy to leap at any opportunity to drive something that isn't the real steel Williams.

 

[-Fred-]

 

[Liquid]

In terms naming, after dropping MPxx I wish McLaren had simply gone back to Mxx instead of MCLxx.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Grosjean will get back in a Racing Car on the 22nd of February as he prepares for a season with Dale Coyne Racing in Indycar for 2021!
https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/grosjean-indycar-dale-coyne-road-street-races/5323324

 

[Liquid]

I... don't think anybody would have judged Grosjean for never setting foot in a racing car again. Quite a brave move for him to go back racing this year.

 

[Blitz24]

I... don't think anybody would have judged Grosjean for never setting foot in a racing car again. Quite a brave move for him to go back racing this year.

And he's going the Jimmie Johnson route of street races only.

 

[PeterJB]

The last two Virtual GPs have been surprisingly good because the racing at the front end (which unsurprisingly is where the professional racing drivers are) has been really close. There's the usual cabal of content creators and random celebrities who just have no pace and are getting penalised constantly. Alpine replaced Piastri and Lundgaard with a pair of sim racers I've never heard of who both got lapped, and old Jimmer's steering wheel switched off at the start which left him 12th. Though I must take my hat off to Thibaut Courtois for taking 2nd place from Albon early in the race yesterday, even if he did finished 11th. It would really good and close if the entire grid was professional racing drivers.

 

[Jimlaad43]

So Formula 1 have dropped the Rainbow colour scheme from their #WeRaceAsOne initiative.

I take it the whole "being gay is illegal in some of the countries we race in" thing won over the whole bringing to light these exact social issues.

 

[Dennisch]

 

[ScottPuss20]

So Formula 1 have dropped the Rainbow colour scheme from their #WeRaceAsOne initiative.

I take it the whole "being gay is illegal in some of the countries we race in" thing won over the whole bringing to light these exact social issues.

The Muslims obviously took offence. And the Chinese. And the Russians.

 

[EngieDiesel]

So Formula 1 have dropped the Rainbow colour scheme from their #WeRaceAsOne initiative.

I take it the whole "being gay is illegal in some of the countries we race in" thing won over the whole bringing to light these exact social issues.

Which is rather ironic seeing as it wasn't really a proper rainbow, just all of the teams' primary colors, so they could have defended it easily enough if they wanted to. But presumably they wanted the checks to clear more than they wanted to commit to that.

 

[Liquid]

Fly Saudi.

 

[Roo]

Edit: Disregard. Discussion is taking place in the 2021 F1 Driver Thread.

 

[BrainsBush]

It seems Alonso has had an accident and has some bones broken.

 

[andrea]

Does Hulkenberg have an alibi?

 

[McLaren]

Poor Albon - can't imagine RB calling him up for this with a straight face.

The Williams drivers of course, are happy to leap at any opportunity to drive something that isn't the real steel Williams.

Hello, Alex? Based on your experience in the car, we have a roster spot for you.

Really? Thank you! Where should I meet to begin testing?

Uh, at your home. We're sending you a copy of the game to prepare & race in.

 

[05XR8]

Bike riders should wear full face helmets. After I smashed my teeth while riding my brother's BMX, I wore motocross and full face helmets on push bikes. Even on my old beach cruiser, here in Australia. Those foam caps do nothing for your face. Riding on the road, you think it'd be a no-brainer from racers.

 

[Carbonox]

So Formula 1 have dropped the Rainbow colour scheme from their #WeRaceAsOne initiative.

I take it the whole "being gay is illegal in some of the countries we race in" thing won over the whole bringing to light these exact social issues.

Why not just drop the entire slogan? It's not as if it's being upheld anyway, with Mazepin still around and all.

Speaking of, I actually find myself wondering what his average interactions with other drivers are like.

 

[DG_Silva]

I actually find myself wondering what his average interactions with other drivers are like.

One would imagine most drivers keeping a wide berth of Mazepin for not being seen to be accepting his behaviour. To be honest, I don't think he'll last too long in the season with his idiotic behaviour inside and outside the cockpit.

 

[PeterJB]

I'm amazed every driver has remained silent on this, especially Hamilton.

 

[Dotini]

I'm amazed every driver has remained silent on this, especially Hamilton.

The GPDA has a history of activism. Perhaps Lewis needs to sit the chair.

 

[Liquid]

*mirth and titters*

 

[mustafur]

We must be at the: "Stop its already Dead!" stage then.

 

[Liquid]

Any driver in the non-dominant position will always think that and the driver in the dominant position doesn't give a 🤬.

"Ooh, maybe I won't try and win this race because the fans might find it boring."

Yeah, right.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Not quite sure where to put this... but U-Mask, the company that makes the official F1 masks, have been withdrawn from the market amidst claims that their filtering properties are worse than a cheap disposable mask and that their testing data was falsified.

https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cron...p-e-ritiro-mercato-rischi-salute-1925332.html.

EDIT: Seems it might be an Italian legal thing, the company are standing by their masks elsewhere including the UK.