Squirrel 5,180 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Do we have any Formula One fans amongst us? The 2015 season is only a month away! I'm a huge fan, will be supporting the local drivers. I'm hoping my local team makes it to the grid this year but as they are deep in administration it's looking unlikely. So far after pre-season testing the Ferrari's are looking quick, Alonso could have made his move back to McLaren at precisely the wrong time while Vettel the golden boy could have landed on his feet. Mercedes are looking unbeatable again though, I can't see any other team taking the championships although there is still nothing to choose from between Hamilton & Rosberg Red Bull could be the start of a decline, they have lost one of their key aero people to McLaren and its Neweys last season as an F1 designed. McLaren have a very experienced line up both on the track and behind the scenes but unless they can get their new engine to work expect them to be making up the numbers. Further down the order, Williams should be quick but possibly not allowed to challenge Mercedes for wins. Force India are in trouble financially. They may not last the season. Sauber have an exciting young line up so could be the big surprise of the season. Lotus finally have a decent engine onboard but their driver line up is still one of the most unpredictable, either driver could get a car on the podium but also quite easily be the 1st to retire from a race. Toro Rosso is resembling a kids playground so who knows what will happen there. Manor (formerly Marussia) I'm hoping these guys get back but they have no chance of competing with anyone this season. It should be an interesting season what ever happens. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido_le_muet 5,197 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I like F1 but I wouldn't say I'm a fan. I can't watch it anymore now that it's broadcast on a paying channel. I follow the results and read a little about transfers, new cars, new tracks, and all the drama during the season of course. I always await the car presentations and calendar reveal as I love to check out new liveries and find out which tracks will be featured each season. I'll support the local guy as well (Romain Grosjean FTW). I hope he has a better car than last year. Not too sure about that though... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin 596 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Yup yup, big F1 fan here Favorite team: Marussia/Manor GP. Please let them make it to the 2015 grid ! Favorite driver: in F1 Alonso, but Stoffel Vandoorne is my overall favorite. Looks like Merc will have the edge on everyone just like last year, but it seems that other teams have improved. We'll have to see by how much they have closed the gap. Ferrari engines are looking good and I believe McLaren-Honda could become quite competitive as the season progresses. Their package looks extremely tight and aggressive. Williams and Lotus will be alright because of the Merc engines. Next to F1 I am most looking forward to the new GP2 season. The 2015 grid is absolutely PACKED with young talents, way different and much more exciting then the previous years. I think if we want to see some proper racing (and granted, stupid mistakes too), GP2 is the series to follow in 2015. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no_snacks 3,345 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 (edited) Yes. Big F1 fan here too Squirrel. One of my earliest childhood memories was when my dad called me over to the TV to see the Tyrrell P34 6 wheeler on the news. I was only 4 or 5 years old at the time. Have been hooked on F1 since the Alan Jones days. We didn't have much TV coverage in Australia back then. Also, most of the races were on after my bedtime, but I used to flick through the TV guide to find out when the next race was on & then pester my parents to let me stay up to watch. When Adelaide had the Australian GP, TV coverage improved & I've only missed half a dozen or so races since then. Of course I'll be supporting Daniel Ricciardo, but my favourite team will always be Williams. I really hope Williams, Red Bull & Ferrari can take the fight to Mercedes this year & make them work hard for their wins, but I fear Merc will probably run away with the Constructors Championship again. The Drivers Championship could be a bit more interesting though. If Hamilton & Rosberg keep taking wins off each other, it leaves the door open for someone like Bottas, Ricciardo, Raikkonen or Vettel to become title contenders. McLaren could surprise us all, but I think they'll have too many teething problems to deal with this year. Hope I'm wrong though. Alonso has been dragging a-dog-of-a-car up the grid for the last few years, so if the McLaren is reasonably quick, who knows what he can do with it. Whatever happens & whoever wins, I just hope for some close & exciting racing. EDIT. Ronin, we sadly have very poor TV coverage of the lower categories. We rarely see any testing or practice sessions from F1, let alone any GP2 races. It's a pity because there is some amazing talent & some awesome races in the junior categories but it's very hard for us Aussies to get hooked. Will try to live-stream a few races when I get a chance though. Edited February 12, 2015 by no_snacks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge 7,248 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I'm a racing fan. Not necessarily F1, but I'm not opposed to watching it. But I do not follow it regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudisanga 380 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 (edited) Huge f1 fan but losing interest for the couple years. Hoping that this year would be more Competitive but looks like is not gonna happen. Hey at least both driver from Mercedes can win not like red bull guys were only vettel would be allowed to win. Edited February 12, 2015 by Kudisanga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin 596 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I can follow F1 on the telly, but not the GP2 series. For that I have always used Wiziwig.tv Unfortunately that site got taken down by its owners end of last year ... There's a replacement called getyourfixtures.com but it remains to be seen if that is as good as wiziwig. no_snacks, did you see Ricciardo in last week's Top Gear? He absolutely shredded Hamilton's lap time ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidCore89 7,402 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 (edited) I can follow F1 on the telly, but not the GP2 series. For that I have always used Wiziwig.tv Unfortunately that site got taken down by its owners end of last year ... There's a replacement called getyourfixtures.com but it remains to be seen if that is as good as wiziwig. no_snacks, did you see Ricciardo in last week's Top Gear? He absolutely shredded Hamilton's lap time ! I saw that. Ricciardo looks set to take over F1 during the next 5 years, he's come such a long way in the last year or two. However I don't think this years Red Bull car will be good enough, Mercedes is looking very strong as Squirrel said. I'd love the Lotus team to begin to return to what it once was, but that's a long way off and may never happen without significant investment. I've been a fan of F1 since I was a young child, it's changed a lot, some may say it's not as entertaining as it once was, I'm one of those people. I think some of the rules have a negative affect on the overall style of racing. Luckily I have the Sky Sports F1 channel so I'll be able to watch all of the coverage, but it's likely I won't see every session. The F1 games get me hooked too, I spend hours tweaking my set ups for each track on the calendar, maybe 100 laps or more put into each test session before I even get onto the track with online players. Another racing series that I really love is BTCC (British Touring Car Championship), I love the action, the rubbing, the need to get past your opponent is clear to see and the races are a lot more entertaining, I highly recommend this for any racing fan. Edited February 12, 2015 by DavidCore89 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapOiteE 465 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I love F1! Last season was not interesting though!! I want a strong mercedes, ferrari, mclaren, redbull (williams!?)... Not just a team dominating every race. So I'd like to see more competition. What you guys think about the cars for this season? Force India's looks amazing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin 596 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I do expect the field to be a bit closer this year, but most probably there will be a dominating team like it has been the case for many years now: Williams in the 90's, Schumi in his Ferrari days, then came 4 years of Vettel/Red Bull, now it's Merc. As long as some teams are able to throw around stupid amounts of money and others having trouble to keep their head above water, this is what we will continue to see ... F1 is a political hornet's nest and it's f*cked up pretty good. The big teams mainly think short-term, the small teams don't manage to survive and some midfield teams have to contract lousy drivers with big bags of money while the real talent is left out. Nevertheless, I still love the vibe that surrounds the whole F1 circus. As for Force India: I've always respected them, because they usually manage to put a decent car on the grid with relative low means, but after what they did to Manor GP last week, they can go stuff it. F1 needs teams like Manor, Minardi or Jordan. They're the ones who bring passion to the track. Fair enough, they're usually the slowest of the bunch, but they're in it for the right reasons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel 5,180 Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 I'm expecting Lotus to do better this year. They have finally ditched the awful Renault engine and have the dominant Mercedes powerplant in the back. Huge f1 fan but losing interest for the couple years. Hoping that this year would be more Competitive but looks like is not gonna happen.Hey at least both driver from Mercedes can win not like red bull guys were only vettel would be allowed to win. Vettel was made to look ordinary last year, either Ricciardo is unbelievably quick or Vettel isn't as good as people think. I never rated Webber as a driver, he was just a journeyman racer who was lucky to be in the right team when Red Bull took over. I don't think Webber was ever told he couldn't win, he just didn't have the ability to take the fight to Vettel. If the Ferrari is quick then expect them to be main challengers for Mercedes but I have a feeling the fast 1st test times are just pure theatre and when it comes to race day then Ferrari could be well off the pace and nothing but a midfield racer. If anyone is interested I'm part of an excellent forum for F1. It's pretty well known for its overtaking stats and has some very well informed members. Can usually find out a lot of behind the scenes information before it becomes known to the general public. It's also got a great free fantasy f1 competition. It makes the season interesting even if one team is dominating completely. http://cliptheapex.com/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbouncer 1,431 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Forza Ferrari Quote Rev's Races Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin 596 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Thanks for link Squirrel ! Didn't know that site yet. I'm mainly using Sky Sports, F1 Fanatic and Autosport.com. The gap between Ricciardo and Vettel was huge last season. I think that may have to do with the operating window in which drivers can perform in an optimal way. The likes of Hamilton, Alonso, Ricciardo can drive pretty much anything and take the best out of any car, regardless of how terrible it is. Drivers like Vettel or even Kimi have a more narrow window. Vettel needs a car with a rear that is glued to the track, Kimi needs a car with pinpoint accuracy at the front. Take last year's Ferrrari, an absolute dog of a car. While Alonso drove the wheels off that thing, Kimi was seriously struggling. Same with last year's Red Bulls. Looks like Ferrari did make some adjustments to accommodate those needs a bit more this season and hopefully Renault get their act together this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido_le_muet 5,197 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I love F1! Last season was not interesting though!! I want a strong mercedes, ferrari, mclaren, redbull (williams!?)... Not just a team dominating every race. So I'd like to see more competition. What you guys think about the cars for this season? Force India's looks amazing!! This year's Force India look great but they're a ripoff of the Mclaren from early 2000s. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustHatched 12,103 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I am not a fan of watching F1 on tv, nor do I follow it, but would love to see it in person. Quote The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge 7,248 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Renault warming up. Renault F1 Car playing God Save The Queen: Make sure you watch at about 45 seconds. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rikster 53 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Renault warming up. Renault F1 Car playing God Save The Queen: http://youtu.be/1JPBdBIFGNQMake sure you watch at about 45 seconds. Not sure this would sound quite as good with the new turbo engines lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rikster 53 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 BTW I'm a huuuuge F1 fan too . I'm just hoping it's not another Mercedes snore fest like last year. I'm a big Alonso supporter and so hope that McLaren have finally got the chassis right this year as I have high hopes that the honda power unit is a beast , seeing as they should have been privy to mclarens data from the Mercedes power unit last year ( something that no other rival has access to) One to watch this year for me is Raikonnen , the ferrari this year seems much more suited to him and I seriously doubt he has lost all of his pace in one year, so that intra team battle is gonna be fascinating to me ..as although the two are all pally off track at the mo, it'll be a different story when the lights go out ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel 5,180 Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 I am not a fan of watching F1 on tv, nor do I follow it, but would love to see it in person. How far away are you from Texas? Or Canada. Even Mexico is getting F1 back plus the rumours of New Jersey, a possible return to Long Beach or Vegas. America is the market being targeted by F1 so you're in a good position to see some live action in the future especially with the new American team coming next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin 596 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 How far away are you from Texas? Or Canada. Even Mexico is getting F1 back plus the rumours of New Jersey, a possible return to Long Beach or Vegas. America is the market being targeted by F1 so you're in a good position to see some live action in the future especially with the new American team coming next year. Definitely and let's not forget there's a US team in the making with Haas F1 Team. From what I read about the latter is that this is one serious project, not some shady investment group throwing around some press releases. This guy means business: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustHatched 12,103 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 How far away are you from Texas? Or Canada. Even Mexico is getting F1 back plus the rumours of New Jersey, a possible return to Long Beach or Vegas. America is the market being targeted by F1 so you're in a good position to see some live action in the future especially with the new American team coming next year. I am between them, and for sure not close enough for me to drive to a race. I am 90 miles from the Indy 500 and have been to Indy Car timetrials but not for a long time. Quote The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beez 5,091 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I follow AMA Supercross, AMA Motocross, Isle of Man and Moto GP. I sort of follow World Superbike, AMA Flat track, SCORE Desert racing, Best in the Desert, Endurocross, Extreme Enduro events, GNCC, LeMans, American LeMans Series, Rally America and WRC. I am hoping to follow AMA/Moto America road racing this year. The series looks to be headed to a rebirth with the new owners Moto America and leadership from Wayne Rainey. The U.S. motorcycle road racing series was up to the mid 2000s the #1 national roadracing series in the world. Then the AMA sold it to DMG (Daytona Motorsports Group) who ran it into the ground and it's now not much more than a club racing series. Last year there were only 5 events and none were televised. I quit paying attention when the rules split ways with those of World Superbike. I really don't have any bandwidth left to follow F1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin 596 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I am between them, and for sure not close enough for me to drive to a race. I am 90 miles from the Indy 500 and have been to Indy Car timetrials but not for a long time. Better wait a few more years tbh. The current F1 sounds nowhere near as sexy as it used to be ! The F1 teams and Strategy Group are looking into new engines etc and they seem to all agree on introducing wider, faster cars that spit out 1000 bhp and more. There is still some disagreement as to when they want to implement this change due to personal interests, but it looks like some day (2017?) we'll be going back to the high pitch V8's or V10's at some point, maybe even with customer teams. Until then, better put those ear plugs away and don't bother ... /fanboy mode on Some footage from God himself on the most awesome track in the world: /fanboy mode off 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rikster 53 Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Some footage from God himself on the most awesome track in the world: /fanboy mode off Fernando Alonso I hear you say? The man is a certifiable beast on track and quotes Sun Tzu's Art of War as some of his inspiration. Only one way to describe him : # Legend! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin 596 Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I follow AMA Supercross, AMA Motocross, Isle of Man and Moto GP. I sort of follow World Superbike, AMA Flat track, SCORE Desert racing, Best in the Desert, Endurocross, Extreme Enduro events, GNCC, LeMans, American LeMans Series, Rally America and WRC. I am hoping to follow AMA/Moto America road racing this year. The series looks to be headed to a rebirth with the new owners Moto America and leadership from Wayne Rainey. The U.S. motorcycle road racing series was up to the mid 2000s the #1 national roadracing series in the world. Then the AMA sold it to DMG (Daytona Motorsports Group) who ran it into the ground and it's now not much more than a club racing series. Last year there were only 5 events and none were televised. I quit paying attention when the rules split ways with those of World Superbike. I really don't have any bandwidth left to follow F1. Beez, you mean Wayne Rainey as in this guy ? Used to follow 500 cc GP quite closely during my teenage years. I was the Rainey fan, my m8 the Schwantz fan. Oooh, the debates we had, good times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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