Formula One 2014

[89CAL]

If Mercedes walk away with it in Monaco I think thats the season over. If Red Bull stand a chance anywhere, I'd say its in Monaco.

Whats the gap going to be like at places like Monza and Spa this year?

[chus13]

I know it has only been 5 rounds, but I think that the season is pretty much over anyway. I'm still looking forward to the rest of it though as there has been some good racing so far this year.

As for Monza and Spa, if this weekend is anything to go by, Merc could possibly lap the entire field.

I'm really looking forward to Monaco, and I hope that both Dan and Seb can qualify well and not have any car problems. It'll be good to see where Dan stands now compared to Seb, seeing as SV has found a bit more form and become comfortable in his new chassis. I think they could have some really good duels in the remainder of this season (as long as RBR allows them to race each other).

I can't help but feel Kimi got stooged a little bit in the first round of pitstops by his team.

[mickey]

called it 2 races ago, Hamo for the WDC barring death, injury or 'team' sabotage. The only other chance is Rosberg.

3/4 is where it's at, the question is can Ricci beat Vettel at the end? I think Vettel had a bad run so far (Ricci's non-podium mega hurt too) so I think Vettel will come back and take out 3rd in the WDC.

Alonso I believe will be fighting with Ricci for 4th.

[hrd-hr30]

If Mercedes walk away with it in Monaco I think thats the season over. If Red Bull stand a chance anywhere, I'd say its in Monaco.

good luck - last year at Monaco Mercedes locked out the front row and won the race, and they set the pole time the year before that...

Edited May 14, 2014 by hrd-hr30

[djr81]

Only question is will MB will all the races this year? Or get a double DNF at some point.

[Roy]

It does look like its going to take the two Mercs crashing into one another. The pace they showed after the pace car in Bahrain and the speed last weekend has got to take the wind out of the sails of other teams.

Perhaps if Renault can bring their A-game by Silverstone then the back half of the year we can at least have races where they are pushed...but they would have to take a backwards step in development (perhaps learn that one from McLaren) and lsoe pace relative to RBR finding pace. But, being 1 second quicker in race pace at different circuits speaks volumes.

But, I will hold off on the call that MB will win all GPs until we see the results of Silverstone and Hungary. LOL, I can only hope for a Brawn GP like stumble mid-end of season

[djr81]

Make McLaren in 1988 look like noobs.

My question is this: With the rules governing the development of engines when is the soonest Renault and Ferrari can copy the long shaft turbo layout in the Benz power plant?

[tweety bird]

next year..

[chus13]

How can the turbo on the Merc spool so quickly with the extra rotational mass of the shaft? Does the ERS system do all the work or am I missing something here?

Surely on a car without the ERS system this setup would have shithouse throttle response and be quite laggy as well.

[djr81]

Energy Recovery Systems (ERS)

Long-time fans of Formula One racing will be familiar with the concept of a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), technology that was introduced to the sport in 2009 and was a mainstay from 2011. KERS worked by harnessing waste energy created under braking and transforming it into electrical energy, providing an additional 60kW (approximately 80bhp) of power for up to 6.67 seconds per lap.

The Energy Recovery Systems (ERS) which form an integral part of an F1 car’s power unit from 2014 take the concept of KERS to another level, combining twice the power with a performance effect around ten times greater.

ERS comprise two energy recovery systems (Motor Generator Unit - Kinetic [MGU-K] and Motor Generator Unit - Heat [MGU-H]), plus an Energy Store (ES) and control electronics.

The motor generator units convert mechanical and heat energy to electrical energy and vice versa. MGU-K works like an uprated version of KERS, converting kinetic energy generated under braking into electricity (rather than it escaping as heat). It also acts as a motor under acceleration, returning up to 120kW (approximately 160bhp) power to the drivetrain from the Energy Store.

MGU-H is an energy recovery system connected to the turbocharger of the engine and converts heat energy from exhaust gases into electrical energy. The energy can then be used to power the MGU-K (and thus the drivetrain) or be retained in the ES for subsequent use. Unlike the MGU-K which is limited to recovering 2MJ of energy per lap, the MGU-H is unlimited. MGU-H also controls the speed of the turbo, speeding it up (to prevent turbo lag) or slowing it down in place of a more traditional wastegate.

A maximum of 4MJ per lap can be returned to the MGU-K and from there to the drivetrain - that’s ten times more than with 2013’s KERS. That means drivers should have an additional 160bhp or so for approximately 33 seconds per lap.

Edited May 14, 2014 by djr81

[djr81]

Pretty big download but worth it.

http://www.renaultsport.com/IMG/pdf/rsf1-moteur2014-presskit-en_final2.pdf

[chus13]

Awesome, thanks.

Edited May 14, 2014 by chus13

[ctjet]

SIR Jack Brabham, Australian icon, died suddenly this morning at his home on the Gold Coast aged 88.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/motorsport/former-threetime-world-formula-one-champion-sir-jack-brabham-dead/story-fne8930l-1226922303416

well thats unfortunate

hope they do something nice at Monaco

[Roy]

RIP Sir Jack. It is truly amazing what this man achieved and hope he is given the tributes he desrves. The man was a bold competitor and achieved soooo much!

[tweety bird]

RIP Sir Jack. It is truly amazing what this man achieved and hope he is given the tributes he desrves. The man was a bold competitor and achieved soooo much!

Amen!

[wolverine]

Especially with the news that the grandchildren are kicking some goals in racing over the last week.

[Roy]

Just read an article that he shoudl be revered as Don Bradman! Couldnt agree more!

[25GTT]

Sad news :-(

[djr81]

Just read an article that he shoudl be revered as Don Bradman! Couldnt agree more!

Proper motoring press stuff here. Not Fitzsimmons in other words.

http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/f1/history/sir-jack-brabham-1926-2014/

http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/f1/history/the-world-according-to-jack/

[wolverine]

Mercs already quick in FP1. Wet session for FP2 scrambled things a bit but it looks a little ominous given the times that LH made on the soft tyre were hard for others to match on supersofts.