146 replies to this topic

[Cesc]

Overall, ugly track and probably boring race.

Q3 will have something like 6 or 7 Mercedes engine cars, 2 Red Bulls and maybe Alonso but ...

[stanga]

Will be good to see a dry quali, I wonder if that alone propels williams higher up the grid

 

I hope so. It will certainly make things interesting.

[TF110]

The track is nice. The scenery isn't. But should be a good race for top speed.

[Mercedestorque1]

 Lewis you can do it again!!!Go get em

[Hyatt]

F1 never fails to surprise ... I bet on a non-Merc victory

[Jon83]

Might as well ask for snow in a desert

 

Who might have the best snow set-up?

 

I'm going for Kimi

 

[jjcale]

Might as well ask for snow in a desert

 

Isnt that what the world cup organisers promised?

 

.... who says F1 has the worst corruption

[Lotus53B]

Wunderground (my weather site of choice) has seamless sunshine, but fairly strong winds

 

http://www.wundergro...&weekday=Friday

[RubalSher]

Overall, ugly track and probably boring race.

Q3 will have something like 6 or 7 Mercedes engine cars, 2 Red Bulls and maybe Alonso but ...

 

I dont care how ugly a track looks as long as the races are interesting. Last year, the race was pretty interesting in Bahrain and pretty much had me glued to the last lap.

Here are the highlights as i remember them:

- Nico started P1 but ended up going backwards all race to P9. He was one of the two drivers that needed a 4 stopper for tyres and had plenty of on track battles with Button, Perez and Webber.

- Vettel started P2 but took the race lead on lap 2 and never looked back. He was untouchable that day.

- Alonso started P3 and had an interesting battle with Vettel where he briefly took the lead on lap 1 but was passed by Vettel soon thereafter. He looked solid but his lap was ruined by a malfunctioning DRS flap that stuck in the open position and he had to pit twice in the early stages of the race to fix it. He could not use DRS thereafter for the whole race but ended a strong P8 ahead of the likes of Rosberg and Button!!

- The two Lotus cars ran a strong race, Kimi on a 2 stopper vs RoGro on a 3 stopper and both ended on the podium.

- DiResta had a career best 4th place finish after he managed to run a trouble free 2 stopper and was passed by RoGro only towards the end of the race.

- There were plenty of battles P5 onwards all the way down to P10. Lewis impressed with P5 as he started P9 on the grid due to a gearbox penalty and was nowhere in the first half of the race. Switching to hard tyres did the trick for him and he had a racy duel with Webber towards the end of the race. They both passed each other once before Hamilton passed him again on the last lap of the race for P5.

- Perez was feisty throughout the race and ended P6 after passing Webber on the last lap. He dueled with Button on track for a long time and both of them even came so close to taking each other out. Button was heard complaining about Perez on the team radio. Perez also made a bold move on Alonso and made it stick in the dying stages of the race.

- Webber finished P7 and lost two positions on the last lap. The first half of his race was good but he went backwards in the second half being passed by RoGro, Lewis and Perez.

- Alonso finished P8 because of his DRS flap problems but ran quite solid.

- Rosberg finished P9 starting P1 and this was a race to forget for him.

- Button ended P10 and like Rosberg he could not manage his tyres and needed a 4 stopper. Race to forget for him too.

 

The main DRS zone on the front straight turned out to be quite effective and there were many DRS overtakes in this zone. The DRS on the back straight was pretty ineffective with almost no overtaking in that zone.

[Retrofly]

Hopefully somone can get infront of Vettle so the Merc drivers can start putting some distance between the RBR driver. We know Red Bull will be better in the future!

[Anderis]

In reply to more and more fans whinging about F1 and losing interest, Williams decided to promote racing to attract new fans.

 

 

https://pbs.twimg.co...AzZXC.jpg:large

[Maaarsh]

Hopefully somone can get infront of Vettle so the Merc drivers can start putting some distance between the RBR driver. We know Red Bull will be better in the future!

 

I'd rather Vettel get in front of Rosberg. If they just 1-2 every time the championship will be decided by mechanicals rather than skill.

[hodgy21]

I'd rather Vettel get in front of Rosberg. If they just 1-2 every time the championship will be decided by mechanicals rather than skill.

 

If they 1-2 all the time the WCC will be decided by mechanical because Mercedes will have done the best job at producing a car. The WDC will be decided by skill because both drivers are in the same car. You will only have a selection of 2 drivers to choose from though.

[Maaarsh]

If they 1-2 all the time the WCC will be decided by mechanical because Mercedes will have done the best job at producing a car. The WDC will be decided by skill because both drivers are in the same car. You will only have a selection of 2 drivers to choose from though.

 

You misunderstand. I was referring to mechanical failures deciding the WDC.

[hodgy21]

You misunderstand. I was referring to mechanical failures deciding the WDC.

 

Thought you just meant mechanical as in the car would decide, not mechanical failure.

[Maaarsh]

No probs, I was vague.

 

If those two drive with equal skill and equal mechanical failure from now to the end of the season, Rosberg will win the WDC despite being 3-0 down in fair fights year to date - an even fight with more teams involved would be good for all involved and reduce the influence of mishaps.

[wj_gibson]

The track is nice. The scenery isn't. But should be a good race for top speed.

 

Doesn't matter any more mate, they've made it a night race.

[Numero14]

Sutil will race without drink fluid during the race to be lighter     

[Andrew Hope]

Nowhere within a 50-mile radius of the paddock Sutil's girlfriend is standing in could possibly be referred to as ugly scenery.

 

I actually think deserts are quite beautiful. I just don't want to see F1 races in one.

[hodgy21]

Nowhere within a 50-mile radius of the paddock Sutil's girlfriend is standing in could possibly be referred to as ugly scenery.

 

I actually think deserts are quite beautiful. I just don't want to see F1 races in one.

 

Couldn't agree more about Jennifer 

 

Why not race in the desert?

 

It's obviously a good place to have one because you have a huge area to work with. I can see the downsides being the sand, wind and stray camels. Perhaps it is empty stands you don't like? I don't know, give us a clue 

[SPBHM]

In reply to more and more fans whinging about F1 and losing interest, Williams decided to promote racing to attract new fans.

 

 

https://pbs.twimg.co...AzZXC.jpg:large

 

Racing is back!

[Atreiu]

In reply to more and more fans whinging about F1 and losing interest, Williams decided to promote racing to attract new fans.

 

 

https://pbs.twimg.co...AzZXC.jpg:large

 

 

Nice shirt.

 

I never liked Bahrain. Uninspired and dull.

[SamH123]

I hope Rosberg bucks his ideas up this weekend to give us some interest at the front

His race in Malaysia was pretty disappointing, looked like a n1/n2 driver type partnership

[superden]

This is one of the dullest circuits I have ever seen, irrespective of which category you look at. It's up there with China, Abu Dhabi and Korea. No real variance in track level or undulation, run-off areas so vast you could land an Emirates A380, bland layout, no genuine fanbase, half empty stands and roughly as much atmosphere as the moon. Not to mention that it's only part of the circus because a rich prince/tinpot dictatorship/desperate government paid handsomely to host a race. I admit most circuits have at least one of these characteristics but few have so complete a collection. Bernie can knock Silverstone as much as he likes, and I wouldn't begin to suggest its even in the top 3 UK circuits, but the atmosphere and fan support reveal Bahrain for the soulless corporate hole that it really is. Still, the sun shines all the time, so that's nice.

 

That said, so long as the race is good, great.

Edited by superden, 03 April 2014 - 18:00.

[Markn93]

Just wait for Sochi, that track layout looks terrible

[bobcat]

Let's face it, the first to races were pretty dull. If this one lives up to expectations and is even more of a snooze-fest, expect more backlash and shenanigans from Bernie & Co. to artificially 'spice things up'.

 

It can only be bad.

[Skinnyguy]

Yeah it's a good thing Formula 1 is saving so much energy with these new engines. Meanwhile they send cargo planes full of stuff across the world and light tracks with hundreds of lightbulbs so that the viewing hours are slightly more convenient for some people.

And they're not. Genious move indeed.

[johnmhinds]

This is one of the dullest circuits I have ever seen, irrespective of which category you look at. It's up there with China, Abu Dhabi and Korea. No real variance in track level or undulation, run-off areas so vast you could land an Emirates A380, bland layout, no genuine fanbase, half empty stands and roughly as much atmosphere as the moon. Not to mention that it's only part of the circus because a rich prince/tinpot dictatorship/desperate government paid handsomely to host a race. I admit most circuits have at least one of these characteristics but few have so complete a collection. Bernie can knock Silverstone as much as he likes, and I wouldn't begin to suggest its even in the top 3 UK circuits, but the atmosphere and fan support reveal Bahrain for the soulless corporate hole that it really is. Still, the sun shines all the time, so that's nice.

 

That said, so long as the race is good, great.

 

Because places like Silverstone and Hockenheim are the compete opposite right? Oh wait...

[superden]

Did you even READ my post? I said:

 

 

I admit most circuits have at least one of the characteristics but few have so complete a collection.

 

Do us all a favour, read and digest before you flap your typing fingers.

Edited by superden, 03 April 2014 - 18:15.

[Ellios]

[RubalSher]

Did you even READ my post? I said:
 
 
Do us all a favour, read and digest before you flap your typing fingers.

Your post came across as a rant against the new circuits and for all the wrong reasons. F1 is about racing and last year Bahrain had a very exciting race, the one most important thing that you cleverly omitted. Give me an exciting race anyday even if the circuit is totally dead. I dont care about jumbojets or how many spectators land up at the venue as long as the race is exciting.

Edited by RubalSher, 03 April 2014 - 19:59.

[PayasYouRace]

Couldn't agree more about Jennifer 

 

Why not race in the desert?

 

It's obviously a good place to have one because you have a huge area to work with. I can see the downsides being the sand, wind and stray camels. Perhaps it is empty stands you don't like? I don't know, give us a clue 

 

What a desert Grand Prix should look like:

 

 

With all the empty space they had to work with in Bahrain, they could have created a high speed desert blast, something like old Hockenheim, without chicanes and no limitation on runoff.

 

Interesting themes in that 1938 race: Fuel saving, new cars slower than the previous year, Mercedes winning by miles. All sounds very familiar.

 

Because places like Silverstone and Hockenheim are the compete opposite right? Oh wait...

 

Well Silverstone was an airfield.

Edited by PayasYouRace, 03 April 2014 - 20:52.

[MikeV1987]

I really like this track, it's not nearly as bad as yas marina and I like the whole racing in the desert setting.

[superden]

RubalSher, I omitted nothing. You thought Bahrain 2013 an exciting race, I found it less so! I also said:

 

 

That said, so long as the race is good, great.

 

Neither point alters the fact that, in my opinion, Bahrain is a dull and featureless track, in a bland environment.

Edited by superden, 03 April 2014 - 21:06.

[AlexS]

Let's see if Kimi will be rear ended for third time after Kobayachi in Australia and Magnussen in Malaysia

Edited by AlexS, 03 April 2014 - 20:58.

[Lazy]

What a desert Grand Prix should look like:

 

 

With all the empty space they had to work with in Bahrain, they could have created a high speed desert blast, something like old Hockenheim, without chicanes and no limitation on runoff.

 

Interesting themes in that 1938 race: Fuel saving, new cars slower than the previous year, Mercedes winning by miles. All sounds very familiar.

 

 

Well Silverstone was an airfield.

 

Yeah, that's when it all started to go wrong 

 

Cars sound **** too.

[scheivlak]

What a desert Grand Prix should look like:

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, more palm trees! 

 

  

[Kristian]

What a desert Grand Prix should look like:

 

 

With all the empty space they had to work with in Bahrain, they could have created a high speed desert blast, something like old Hockenheim, without chicanes and no limitation on runoff.

 

Interesting themes in that 1938 race: Fuel saving, new cars slower than the previous year, Mercedes winning by miles. All sounds very familiar.

 

 

Well Silverstone was an airfield.

 

If you want some good reading before the weekend, have a gander at this account of the 1933 Tripoli Grand Prix, the infamous rigged race. If ever there was a film to be made about Grand Prix racing, this would be it: http://www.kolumbus....lman/trip33.htm

Edited by Kristian, 03 April 2014 - 22:50.

[HoldenRT]

Racing the desert is just one race.  It adds variety, it's not like they race there 5 times a year.  There are all kinds of tracks and sceneries and cities.. and Bahrain has it's place IMO.  I prefer Imola for scenery or vibe, but it's a fine track.  It's what happens on the race track that matters, not if it's a building or a mountain in the background.

Edited by HoldenRT, 03 April 2014 - 23:08.

[Jamiednm]

This is one of the dullest circuits I have ever seen, irrespective of which category you look at. It's up there with China, Abu Dhabi and Korea.

I think that's unfair on China. That's a great circuit in my opinion and usually produces a good race.

I don't mind Bahrain, although it does remind me of the god-awful 2010 season opener there, so boring.

[handel]

First time the ratios will get really stretched this I think? Although the pit straight at Malaysia is long these are even longer? Wondering what the highest top speed is that we'll see with the engines cranked up and with a splitstream.

 

Also FI should do well - further opportunities for the Hulk vs Perez relationship to be stretched after missed opportunities previously. I'm not sure if FI actually have the same philosophy they always had (low drag) but if they do we could see them challenge the Ferraris especially with their stronger engine (see Alonso's comments about trying to pass Hulk).

[Otaku]

What was the fastest lap times during testing? Do you guys expect teams to match those times, beat them by a large margin due to progress or be slower?

[Kristian]

Racing the desert is just one race.  It adds variety, it's not like they race there 5 times a year.  There are all kinds of tracks and sceneries and cities.. and Bahrain has it's place IMO.  I prefer Imola for scenery or vibe, but it's a fine track.  It's what happens on the race track that matters, not if it's a building or a mountain in the background.

 

That's true (although Abu Dhabi is also technically in the desert too). I do like the idea of a desert race. But what bugs me is that they had unlimited space and almost unlimited resources and they made such a dull track. Then again, it is better than Abu Dhabi at least. 

[ExFlagMan]

The track is nice. The scenery isn't. But should be a good race for top speed.

In that case you will have to thank Bernie for getting it turned into a night race!

[Antonov]

actually it is the reverse of last race

 

- Sepang: fantastic track to put a lap in, however, usually produces a boring race

- Bahrain: dull just over a single lap, however, layout provides good racing potential

[Miggeex]

The track is really challenging for the drivers. I don't know why some thinks it's boring etc. Lot of blind exits and entries + easy places for locking up. Also difficult curbs and really high-speed corners. Very technical track.

[tomisumi]

- Bahrain: dull just over a single lap, however, layout provides good racing potential

Don´t agree with that, one of my favourite F1 track on simulator