[Other Sport] Who would YOU like to see win the F1 World Championship?

[Perkino]

The future of F1 seems to have turned a corner this season. To have two teams capable of winning the title is excellent for viewers, although disappointingly both Perez & Bottas haven't scored enough to make it a real tussle at the top. We could however see the Driver & Constructors title head in different directions for only the second time this century and first since 2008. Equally the midfield battle between Ferrari, Maclaren, Alpine & one of the Alpha Tauri's has made this the most competitive season I've every watched.

The grid is flooded with young extremely talented drivers with Gasly, Ocon, Verstappen, LeClerc, Russell & Norris who could all compete for titles for a few years.

 

[Audax]

The grid is flooded with young extremely talented drivers with Gasly, Ocon, Verstappen, LeClerc, Russell & Norris who could all compete for titles for a few years.

So flooded that we face the prospect of a talent like Piastri being left off the grid despite winning titles 3 years running. There's been F2 / GP2 champions who've missed out on F1 before, but assuming Piastri wins F2, he is going to be the first to not make the immediate move into F1 after winning F2 or GP2 as a rookie.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Next season (in my dreams) Russell and Norris in very competitive cars, Hamilton as per normal and Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.
All fighting it out.

Yippee, I knew we had some common ground.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Christian Horner has got on my nerves this season, so it's Lewis for me (although it would be Lewis anyway)

I don't understand this dislike for Horner, why does he get on your nerves He seems a nice enough fella, competitive just as Toto is.

 

[Icy Gull]

I don't understand this dislike for Horner, why does he get on your nerves He seems a nice enough fella, competitive just as Toto is.

One comes across, to me, as child when things go against him, the other an adult who can discuss things in a logical and clear way. Horner is a cock….imo

On future drivers, once Lewis retires I’ll be a Norris fan. Cannot warm to George Russell and I will not be backing him, there is something about him that gives me the creeps

 

[Creaky]

I’m hoping that the combination of a reduced budget cap and new car regulations for 2022 will once again mean McLaren have a front running car - the fact that they will also have a British driver appeals.

The changes in regulations will hopefully achieve the published aim and allow cars to follow each other far more closely without losing as much down force as currently. Should make for a an even more competitive season.

 

[Pavilionaire]

If the cars were more evenly matched then it could be a new golden era for F1. There are some truly excellent drivers in the sport right now.

 

[Bold Seagull]

If the cars were more evenly matched then it could be a new golden era for F1. There are some truly excellent drivers in the sport right now.

Yeah but these ‘new dawns’ have always been touted as bringing more overtaking etc. but genius designers and engineers always find a way to somehow negate the new regs. Rather than bring teams together, one can grab a march on the rest.

Agree with the raft of talent in the field, but also some only there because of the size of Daddy’s bank balance.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Yeah but these ‘new dawns’ have always been touted as bringing more overtaking etc. but genius designers and engineers always find a way to somehow negate the new regs.

This, plus pit stop strategies. Fans want to see overtaking on the track but understandably, team principals would rather see their drivers gain places through the less risky route of having a smarter pit stop strategy and will bring drivers in early or leave them out if it means they can avoid the potential of an on-track overtake. Consequently, everyone is driving a slightly different race until after the last stops when it all shakes out.

I'd like them to start on tyres that will last the race, switch the lights to green and just let them go for it.

 

[Audax]

Yeah but these ‘new dawns’ have always been touted as bringing more overtaking etc. but genius designers and engineers always find a way to somehow negate the new regs. Rather than bring teams together, one can grab a march on the rest.

Will be interesting to see how the new regs for next year work. In theory, having a higher % of the downforce being generated from under the car via the venturi tunnels should make it easier for them to follow each other through corners, and thus make overtaking easier. It certainly works in Formula E, however those cars are a) slower, and b) generating almost all their downforce from under the car. Their wings are only really there for trimming the balance of the car rather than creating additional downforce. But: it's amazing seeing them following each other so closely through corners that if the lead car lifts the car behind is immediately nudging into the back of it. In some cases they're actually following too closely through the corners, which results in the car behind being balked and not getting the run out of the corner to be able to make the pass.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Will be interesting to see how the new regs for next year work. In theory, having a higher % of the downforce being generated from under the car via the venturi tunnels should make it easier for them to follow each other through corners, and thus make overtaking easier. It certainly works in Formula E, however those cars are a) slower, and b) generating almost all their downforce from under the car. Their wings are only really there for trimming the balance of the car rather than creating additional downforce. But: it's amazing seeing them following each other so closely through corners that if the lead car lifts the car behind is immediately nudging into the back of it. In some cases they're actually following too closely through the corners, which results in the car behind being balked and not getting the run out of the corner to be able to make the pass.

Agreed, and coupled with other changes there is reason to be hopeful, however I suppose ground effects were banned after 1983 because any disruption to the airflow under the car dramatically altered the downforce to the extent you went from lots to none in an instant - hence it was considered too dangerous to continue with it back then. I've not really got into the detail, but that potential for disruption I would have thought would be significantly increased in an F1 car on F1 track compared to say Formula E and their fairly ad-hoc temporary track arrangements. Like you say, going to be very interesting, but I'm waiting to see who has the latest double decker deffuser this time...

 

[Deleted member 2719]

One comes across, to me, as child when things go against him, the other an adult who can discuss things in a logical and clear way. Horner is a cock….imo

On future drivers, once Lewis retires I’ll be a Norris fan. Cannot warm to George Russell and I will not be backing him, there is something about him that gives me the creeps

I see you could say Hamilton acts like a child, and Bottas acts like an adult who can discuss things in a logical clear way

Haha, I thought exactly the same of George too!

 

[Audax]

Agreed, and coupled with other changes there is reason to be hopeful, however I suppose ground effects were banned after 1983 because any disruption to the airflow under the car dramatically altered the downforce to the extent you went from lots to none in an instant - hence it was considered too dangerous to continue with it back then. I've not really got into the detail, but that potential for disruption I would have thought would be significantly increased in an F1 car on F1 track compared to say Formula E and their fairly ad-hoc temporary track arrangements. Like you say, going to be very interesting, but I'm waiting to see who has the latest double decker deffuser this time...

From memory that was more to do with the moveable skirts than the tunnels themselves. If the seal the skirts created was disturbed it caused problems. Formula E and the new F1 rules don't allow skirts.