Baku 2016

[Bagwan]

This track looks nuts .
I expect lots of safety car periods , and long ones as cars and debris will be hard to clear .

This must be hell for those with businesses downtown , crippled for the sake of the show .


I'll predict 12 cars will reach the checkered flag , in a time limited race .













Hey , notice that I got the century right this time ? Pretty clever , eh ?

[steveaki13]

I like your thinking Baggy

[driveace]

Cant be worse than Monaco can it ?
Looks a nice place to visit,but just how successful will it be ?

[Bagwan]

Yeah , I expect utter carnage ., with a lot of layout re-thinking before next year , if there is a next year for this race .

I wouldn't put it past protesters of the government to breach the track to disrupt things either , and given it's longest straight is about 2km , it might be pretty hard to stop .

I just hope all goes smoothly and that everyone leaves this walled F1 pinball game uninjured .

[Bagwan]

Cant be worse than Monaco can it ?
Looks a nice place to visit,but just how successful will it be ?

You never get to 210mph in Monaco .

[Koz]

The straight is extremely bumpy, scares the shit out of me.

[Mia 01]

I like the track!!

[longisland]

The seats are pretty empty in FP3. It's pretty alarming for an inogural race.

[Whyzars]

I'm thinking that a Webber-esque flip could end up in the ramparts of that castle!!! :D

[Bagwan]

They just mentioned that there were only 10 finishers in the lower classers .

I think it's likely we'll get some penalties for impeding in qually , and some interesting moments with people backing onto the track .

Then , the race will get ugly .
There will be lots for us all to talk about after this one .

[steveaki13]

Hi guys


Quali and Le mans both starting at the same time. I am watching one on TV and one on laptop. Track looks tricky.

[truefan72]

so I think Button might get a penalty for impeding like 4 drivers behind him in Q1.
Definitely the manor and renaults was impeded

[steveaki13]

Lewis making errors..... Nico with a mighty time in Q2

[Tazio]

Hulk messed up!!

[Bagwan]

Oops !
Hammy is now back where all the trouble is gonna be tomorrow .

[Tazio]

Boss messed up :stareup:

[Tazio]

Man this could get ugly :eek:

[Whyzars]

How did this track get onto the F1 calendar? Its brilliant.

We get to marvel at how much control they have in glancing the armco each and every lap - corners and straights remind me of Adelaide.

I am thinking that this track is a nice throwback to how F1 used to be.

More like this please...

[Tazio]

How did this track get onto the F1 calendar? Its brilliant.

We get to marvel at how much control they have in glancing the armco each and every lap - corners and straights remind me of Adelaide.

I am thinking that this track is a nice throwback to how F1 used to be.

More like this please...Monaco on steroids :)

[Bagwan]

So , Perez drops down to seventh with a new gearbox , moving the honey badger up to the front row , and the fast starting Seb right in behind Nico .
That much would be good enough for some action , but you'll have all the others 3 and 4 wide trying to out brake at the first corner .
Run down one those escapes and you'll be stuck there until the rest go by , or until the idiot who pushed you there is gone .

There will be a lot of carbon fibre souvenirs out there by the end .
I hope the track workers have lots of spare brooms .

[Tazio]

"The Honey Badger" I like it! :p:

[steveaki13]

Looks a really testing track. Just hope they are pro active marshalls and we dont spend 7 laps in a row under SC and it not being much of a race.

Anyway Lewis has a mountain to climb and Nico has the chance again..... swings and roundabouts this season.

[steveaki13]

"The Honey Badger" I like it! :p:

so do i.......

[Tazio]

Boss getting tire to replace flat spotted one.

[Bagwan]

Mornin' Tazzy .

That replacement is from another set that ran the same number of laps .
You've got to wonder , if they are letting him replace it , how worried they are about anyone else who flat spots a tire .
Full throttle for 23 seconds has them edgy about standing waves , apparently , which , I guess , was the big issue way back when Michelin couldn't run the Indy track .
2km of straight might just be too much .

[steveaki13]

Mornin' Tazzy .

That replacement is from another set that ran the same number of laps .
You've got to wonder , if they are letting him replace it , how worried they are about anyone else who flat spots a tire .
Full throttle for 23 seconds has them edgy about standing waves , apparently , which , I guess , was the big issue way back when Michelin couldn't run the Indy track .
2km of straight might just be too much .

Morning guys

I think there seems to be a fascination with longer and longer straights. I guess it is pretty tough on tyres. However there is little gradient so that should ease that concern slightly. On the other hand remember Kimi in 2005 having his blow out along the straight because he had pushed that flat spot too far. I guess if it was a bad one and that long straight could finish it off. Albeit those 2005 tyres had to last a whole race.

Anyway I am finishing Le Mans, ready to start the Baku GP at the same time. Busy busy

[Tazio]

Morning Baggy, Morning Steve, I think that move had a certain level of safety consideration. I wouldn't compare it with Indy, Their were plenty of signs that they had a problem there. No failures in Baku in four sessions, although I know there has been some concern about it. I'm more concerned about the royal carambalage we have on lap one!

[Whyzars]

2km of straight might just be too much .

This track reminds me so much of Adelaide. The infamous Mansell blowout sprang to mind when I read your post.

They will thankfully be staying within the white lines on this track and racing without the "safe spaces" that are so fashionable in universities and motorsport these days.

Lets hope Trigglypuff doesn't make an appearance lest Tazio's comment about it getting ugly comes true. :)

[Bagwan]

This track reminds me so much of Adelaide. The infamous Mansell blowout sprang to mind when I read your post.

They will thankfully be staying within the white lines on this track and racing without the "safe spaces" that are so fashionable in universities and motorsport these days.

Lets hope Trigglypuff doesn't make an appearance lest Tazio's comment about it getting ugly comes true. :)

Good mornin' .

Lost on the "trigglypuff" reference .

[Bagwan]

Hey , happy father's day to all the dads out there who get to lie on the couch to watch the GP like me .

[Whyzars]

Lost on the "trigglypuff" reference .

Hi Bagwan,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIpkdusnIkE

Bit of fun...

[Tazio]

Trigglypuff is a reference to protesters ;)

[Koz]

First lap carnage anyone?

[Tazio]

Ok boys and girls it's goooooo!

[Koz]

Perez all over Kimi. Won't last 2 laps!

[steveaki13]

NOt the carnage I expected.

Rosberg clearing off and good racing behind..... Maybe we wont have just 10 finishers today

[gm99]

Wehrlein doing a good job once again!

[gm99]

Vettel must be having a good day - he hasn't been moaning on the radio at all so far :)

[Koz]

Vettel must be having a good day - he hasn't been moaning on the radio at all so far :)


Well, he was second guessing orders from Ferrari...

[steveaki13]

Hamilton getting annoyed at the radio rules :p

[AndyL]

It's like Mercedes are running the world's least helpful tech support help-line.

[steveaki13]

haha..... yes. Its bonkers these engines are so complex, let alone they cannot help the driver.....

Although I agree with the radio rules. Maybe Lewis needs to twiddle more knobs. Or make F1 less complex


Anyway this was expected to be chaotic and fun. It has actually been very dull IMO

[Koz]

You know it's probably something super obvious. And it looks like he's sorted it out, anyway.

[AndyL]

Fastest lap from Lewis - looks like he's found the right button to press.

[gm99]

Seems Hamilton has found the right button - fastest lap for him!

[AndyL]

"Lewis, you're the fastest car on track."
"No shit man."
:D

[Koz]

Hamilton is losing 2 seconds a lap again. WTF?

[steveaki13]

slow again now

[AndyL]

Niki Lauda's just said both cars had the same problem, but Nico found the fix quicker than Lewis.

[longisland]

Kudos to Checo. DOTD.

[AndyL]

Nice rug in the pre-podium room. It really ties the room together.

[gm99]

Perez makes Hülkenberg look pretty average.

[N. Jones]

Baku - a beautiful city.
The track nice except for that IDIOTIC turn 8.

[Tazio]

Dang I stayed up all night watching La Mans, and fell asleep by lap 3 of this race. Missed the whole thing! :bigcry:

[Bagwan]

Niki Lauda's just said both cars had the same problem, but Nico found the fix quicker than Lewis.

Lewis said the problem fixed itself .
Toto said they both had a problem , which Nico fixed quickly and Lewis fixed after 12 laps .

Anyway , too easy for Nico .
I wish Lewis would have been right there with him for a battle .

Sadly , we see the Merc still not so stable in traffic .

[henners88]

I think this should be the final straw for Mercedes. Letting Lauda make unsettling comments that are unnecessary is surely something for concern. The guy is an idiot at times.

[dj_bytedisaster]

Lewis said the problem fixed itself .
Toto said they both had a problem , which Nico fixed quickly and Lewis fixed after 12 laps .

Anyway , too easy for Nico .
I wish Lewis would have been right there with him for a battle .

Sadly , we see the Merc still not so stable in traffic .

Surely Lewis not winning is because he are black. There's a whole truckload of dimwits about on twatter claiming that Merc nefariously messed up his car's setup after FP3 and it's all the sun's fault anyway. The fact that he might have effed up with his 'I don't need no stenkin' simulator' and 'track walk is for girls' shtick doesn't quite compute for his fans.

[henners88]

Surely Lewis not winning is because he are black. There's a whole truckload of dimwits about on twatter claiming that Merc nefariously messed up his car's setup after FP3 and it's all the sun's fault anyway. The fact that he might have effed up with his 'I don't need no stenkin' simulator' and 'track walk is for girls' shtick doesn't quite compute for his fans.
Maybe you should be confronting those fans on Twitter rather than trying to drag it into here? You won't find that level of stupidity in here.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Anyway that aside, I think Lewis had a good race despite some difficulties. He drove well and stayed out of trouble and overcame a problem even if it may have righted itself depending on who's talking. I think the race highlighted that the new radio rule does not necessarily improve the racing, as demonstrated by a few drivers.

The race wasn't quite as exciting as expected but I do like the circuit. Let's dump Monaco and have Baku instead!

[dj_bytedisaster]

Maybe you should be confronting those fans on Twitter rather than trying to drag it into here? You won't find that level of stupidity in here.


I did. It was quite entertaining

[Koz]

I think this should be the final straw for Mercedes. Letting Lauda make unsettling comments that are unnecessary is surely something for concern. The guy is an idiot at times.

Humm, I get a feeling that Hamilton isn't Lauda's favourite son anymore.

[The Black Knight]

Lewis said the problem fixed itself .
Toto said they both had a problem , which Nico fixed quickly and Lewis fixed after 12 laps .

Anyway , too easy for Nico .
I wish Lewis would have been right there with him for a battle .

Sadly , we see the Merc still not so stable in traffic .

Well apparently the reason Nico was able to fix it straight away was because he had encountered that same issue before so he knew what to do, whereas Lewis hadn't which is why it took so long. Even when Lewis managed to resolve the issue, it seemed to revert back after a lap or two anyway.

Anyway, I think these radio messages ban are ridiculous and, a driver should be able to ask questions at least. Hopefully they'll fine tune that radio ban for things like this over the coming races.

[Big Ben]

It's only normal to constantly 'fine tune' rules for our boy.

[henners88]

It's only normal to constantly 'fine tune' rules for our boy.
I think it would benefit every driver, not just Kimi and Lewis.

[AndyL]

Anyway, I think these radio messages ban are ridiculous and, a driver should be able to ask questions at least. Hopefully they'll fine tune that radio ban for things like this over the coming races.

It does seem like they have gone too far with it. The idea originally was to stop "coaching". I can understand a ban on the team telling the driver what the best settings are for a particular corner, but when they can't say how to fix a problem with the car, it's too much.

[Nem14]

The cars have gotten ridiculous.
To many computers, too much electronic control, and so much aero crapola the cars are butt-ugly.

[dj_bytedisaster]

The cars have gotten ridiculous.
To many computers, too much electronic control, and so much aero crapola the cars are butt-ugly.

The cars were just fine as long Lewis was winning...

[henners88]

The cars were just fine as long Lewis was winning...
You are desperately trying to turn this into an anti Lewis thread aren't you?

[Nitrodaze]

Which ever way you look at it, one has to say the Mercedes car under Hamilton was well dodgy. For a car that was tested to a full season mileage, this sort of thing is not merely a glitch. The endless issues seeming to be happening to the Mercedes cars, suggest there is more than meet the eyes. The thing with Hamilton's car almost seemed like the car was being hacked. The setting was going all over the place. From 6 to 3 to 1. Weird!

[Nitrodaze]

The cars were just fine as long Lewis was winning...
Hamilton said after winning Monaco, that the issues with the car were still unresolved. I suppose Baku only goes to show that there are inherent problems with the car affecting both drivers, but afflicting Hamilton the most.

[Nitrodaze]

The 5 minutes penalty on Kimi was harsh and unnecessary. There was clearly no gain in time crossing the line like he did. A warning would have sufficed, l thought.

The radio debarcle was just ugly. It shows the rule on radio was not well thought through. Coaching is one thing, asking technical question about a complex system is another. I hope common sense prevail when this is next discussed with the FIA. In the circumstances faced by Hamilton and Raikonnen, the rule just seemed like something out of Alice in wonderland.

[gm99]

The 5 minutes penalty on Kimi was harsh and unnecessary. There was clearly no gain in time crossing the line like he did. A warning would have sufficed, l thought.

Five minutes would indeed have been quite harsh :p

[Mk2 RS2000]

This track looks nuts .
I expect lots of safety car periods , and long ones as cars and debris will be hard to clear .

This must be hell for those with businesses downtown , crippled for the sake of the show .


I'll predict 12 cars will reach the checkered flag , in a time limited race .




Been interesting reading all your predictions in this thread, you sure do drink from a half empty glass.

[dj_bytedisaster]

Hamilton said after winning Monaco, that the issues with the car were still unresolved. I suppose Baku only goes to show that there are inherent problems with the car affecting both drivers, but afflicting Hamilton the most.

Well, folks, you need to make up your mind. If things go wrong for Lewis (Baku), it's the fault of the car, if things go wrong for Nico (Monaco), it's the fault of the driver. What is it? Maybe it's time to stop behaving like football fans and pay all drivers the same respect.

[Storm]

When was the last time there was so much passing on track?

[Whyzars]

When was the last time there was so much passing on track?

F1 cars just need a decent straight to wind up in. I enjoyed the race.

I see it as an excellent track which will punish track boundary violations harshly. Yay.


There did seem to be a difference in the cars between qualifying and the race. Tyres? Fuel? Track Temperature? Just me? Who knows.

The Mercedes won the race to the first corner and that was sort of it for the top step. Kept me interested though because there was always the potential for this track to bite.


Hamilton proved why the only radio communications in F1 should be medical in nature.

[The Black Knight]

The 5 minutes penalty on Kimi was harsh and unnecessary. There was clearly no gain in time crossing the line like he did. A warning would have sufficed, l thought.

The radio debarcle was just ugly. It shows the rule on radio was not well thought through. Coaching is one thing, asking technical question about a complex system is another. I hope common sense prevail when this is next discussed with the FIA. In the circumstances faced by Hamilton and Raikonnen, the rule just seemed like something out of Alice in wonderland.

I think it's just another example of the repeating systematic knee jerk reactions that the powers at be do in F1. F1 is like a wild river with people being swept away with ideas and notions, knee jerk reactions to every issue instead of actually taking a step out and looking what can be done to fix the problem. This has been ongoing in F1 for many years but has really come to the foreground in recent times with the extra information at our finger tips due to .social media outlets.

Unfortunately, until such time as Bernie croaks it or steps down, I don't see it changing as he, in my opinion, is a big part of the problem. He's an old dinosaur. He's great for the likes of CVC to get the best business deals but when it comes to the core health of F1 he's an absolute disaster. It's his fault that the teams have so much power in F1 because of the concorde agreement he signed with them. The whole thing is a shambles at the moment and, until such time as he goes, I don't see much things really changing. The power he has given RBR over the last few years and how he has bent to their whim is ridiculous. RBR wanted the rules changed in 2014 after 4 races because they were no longer winning and Bernie just went along with them. We wouldn't have these rule changes for 2017 if it wasn't for Bernie being their little puppet. And now, just when the performance is beginning to merge after two years they will change the rules again and probably move back to a situation similar to 2014 with one team dominant, except maybe this time it will be RBR, McLaren, Ferrari or Mercedes and the rest playing catch up. For real competition the rules need to be stable.

Regards the driver coaching, it probably had gone too far with drivers being told where to lift off in corners, or what gears to take etc over the radio, but now it's gone too far the opposite direction. Yesterday had a negative impact on the show where a driver that could have made the race exciting, wasn't able. The teams needs to be allowed to tell the driver if there's an incorrect setting and what to do to fix it or at the very least answer the drivers questions. Fine tuning needed.

[The Black Knight]

Well, folks, you need to make up your mind. If things go wrong for Lewis (Baku), it's the fault of the car, if things go wrong for Nico (Monaco), it's the fault of the driver. What is it? Maybe it's time to stop behaving like football fans and pay all drivers the same respect.

I think we all know Nico had issues in Monaco. That was glaringly obvious from the start of the race.

[zako85]

So things have gone as I have predicted. This circuit looked very hard on engines and brakes, so Mercedes was supposed to get another almost sure win, and if you look at how Rosberg maintained a +10 second over the following car for much of the race, I wasn't too much far off the mark. This time we got lucky that Mercedes didn't get its usual 1-2 finish. The championship goes on as could have been predicted approximately twelve months ago.

[yodasarmpit]

The double DRS with a single detection point was ridiculous, that in addition to the single file corner (old castle) killed the race. We need wide tracks, wide corners - forcing cars into single file with the current cars just takes away from a potential battle.

[Nitrodaze]

Well, folks, you need to make up your mind. If things go wrong for Lewis (Baku), it's the fault of the car, if things go wrong for Nico (Monaco), it's the fault of the driver. What is it? Maybe it's time to stop behaving like football fans and pay all drivers the same respect.

Well Mercedes has owned up to putting the car in the wrong setting. At least l am objective about it, what about you buddy????

[Nitrodaze]

I think we have to commend Baku for transforming their city which seemed ordinarily like an unlikely venue for an F1 race into a truely engaging and technical race track. I have to say the GP2 race was more exciting than the F1 race. The GP2 drivers really went for it, though with costly consequences in the end. But they definitely entertained more than the F1 lot.

For some reason this season, Rosberg only manages to win when there is no real contest at the front. Every non-Rosberg wins this season has been more exciting, with proper duel to the finish line. Mind you, that is not to say that Rosberg has not driven a great race to win those races. It just seems like any other driver on the grid in the Mercedes could have won those races. We could not say that for the race won by Verstapenn or the two races won by Hamilton.

The Mercedes team is looking quite suspect at the moment with all kinds of unusual technical errors occurring this season. Incorrectly duck taping Rosberg's car at Monaco screwed his race. Incorrect setting on Rosberg's car at Barcelona was the catalyst for the crash that wiped out both cars from the race. Incorrect settings at Baku, screwed Hamilton's race and deprived us of a battle at the front, which was very much on the cards for a track like Baku. When things like these happen with regularity like it is happening at the moment, it certainly makes you begin to wonder; what is going on in Mercedes this season.

[rjbetty]

Well this was the race I watched this year. Thoughts to come when I buy a new keyboard tonight. Stay tuned!

[Nitrodaze]

Five minutes would indeed have been quite harsh :p
Did they let him off with a wrist slap then??? If so, great :-)

[AndyL]

The Mercedes team is looking quite suspect at the moment with all kinds of unusual technical errors occurring this season. Incorrectly duck taping Rosberg's car at Monaco screwed his race. Incorrect setting on Rosberg's car at Barcelona was the catalyst for the crash that wiped out both cars from the race. Incorrect settings at Baku, screwed Hamilton's race and deprived us of a battle at the front, which was very much on the cards for a track like Baku. When things like these happen with regularity like it is happening at the moment, it certainly makes you begin to wonder; what is going on in Mercedes this season.

People make mistakes. If it costs you 11th place no-one notices, if it costs you a win everyone does. I think the difference this season (if it's anything other than random chance) is that the competition is closer. It's easy to avoid mistakes if you can take it easy and still win easily. Or if you have such a margin, it's easier to make mistakes that everyone forgets because you still ended up on the podium. This year Mercedes are under pressure from Ferrari and Red Bull. They are having to push the limits to maintain their advantage, and if they make a mistake it costs them.

Edit: on reflection, I wonder if the mixing up of the race crews has contributed a bit as well. People who were used to working together are now split up and have to learn to harmonise with a different group.

[jens]

Didn't see any of it, but by the looks of it Pérez had a stunning race weekend, despite a gearbox penalty. Thumbs up to him!

[truefan72]

Edit: on reflection, I wonder if the mixing up of the race crews has contributed a bit as well. People who were used to working together are now split up and have to learn to harmonise with a different group.
To me this is one of the biggest contributing factor to their 2016 problems. it made no sense and smacked of arrogance from mercedes. Not to mention that they had crews who were well tuned with each other and had an established working relationship. It was not needed and probably caused more harm than good for both drivers. Especially For Hamilton's whose winning team was summarily broken up for no good reason. Oh well

[rjbetty]

Five minutes would indeed have been quite harsh :p

gm, you funny person, I almost spat my water out over my keyboard when I saw this, before realising it doesn't work anyway (just got back in with a new wireless one, woooo).


Right then, so I paid some proper attention to this race, seeing as it's new, in a different and unusual location etc... FLIPPIN 'ECK what a crazy track!!! That castle section is insane - Just some minor barriers directly in front of actual buildings, with some catch fencing no more substantial than what you'd find at a building site. And look how narrow and single file it is - I just can't believe this track exists in 2016, it's like something from the 1950's - it's insane.

Well how on earth are 22 cars going to file into that single file castle section on lap 1, it seemed absurd and a recipe for disaster. Even I, a person very much of the old school 'just get on with it' mould was concerned for safety. But I absolutely welcome something different! Fairly cr@p race though tbh, was hoping for something a bit more old school.

Driver of the day: Perez - another podium, and with a gearbox penalty to boot, and passing Kimi on track
Donkey - Hamilton - a masterclass in how to cock up a perfectly good weekend, then moaned about the radio, to which I thought "Gee how would you have coped in the 70's? They had manual gearboxes and stuff too. No run-off car parks either." This goes for every driver today, not just Lewis. Pampered, the lot of them!



While I'm here, I had such a cool dream last night. It must have been based on Baku in some way. The final f1 race of the year was being held at some sort of motorway venue involving several slip roads, big roundabouts and a flyover. It was much more exciting than it sounds, on the edge of a major town, with long blasts and great scenery. It looked like California.

It was an unspecified year in the near future, yet everyone looked like they do now. As the race wore on, Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull was looking good to win the title. There must have been about 4 drivers in contention. He started 7th, and after an unpredictable race, finished 4th. Hamilton, in a car with performance around 2010 McLaren level was looking like one of the drivers to lose out. But he drove out of his skin in the later part of the race, and pulled a scintillating overtaking move for the lead, having been running around 4th, to score an unlikely win. After some mental calculations, I realised he now actually equalled Ricciardo on points, but had 1 more win on countback, taking his 6th world title! Kimi Raikkonen was I think, the reigning champion, having found some temporary decent form to add an unlikely 5th and final title the previous year, before being rubbish again and now presumably about to announce his retirement. Some other driver, I think Vettel, also had 5 championships. Nico Rosberg was still Hamilton's team-mate, at what seemed to be Mercedes still, though their competitiveness was around McLaren 2010 level by now, as mentioned. Rosberg's spirit had by now finally been broken and he was generally going through the motions, but his 4 world titles in a row from some years prior were still impressive.

And before things got any more nonsensical, my housemate knocked on the door asking me for a hairband, waking me up. I was very dehydrated, so the dream was actually remarkably coherent considering. Gimme a break.

Well just wanted to share cos it was very exciting and ensured my day started well. :p

[The Black Knight]

Donkey - Hamilton - a masterclass in how to cock up a perfectly good weekend, then moaned about the radio, to which I thought "Gee how would you have coped in the 70's? They had manual gearboxes and stuff too. No run-off car parks either." This goes for every driver today, not just Lewis. Pampered, the lot of them!


With the cars of the 70s it was completely about driver skill, which we know Hamilton has in abundance. No matter what skill you're born with you can't account for all the switches in today's car. It's totally different to the 70s and really not comparable.

[Rollo]

I think we have to commend Baku for transforming their city which seemed ordinarily like an unlikely venue for an F1 race into a truely engaging and technical race track.

The run around the castle at Baku reminded me in character of the run through Hawthorns, Westfield, Dingle Dell, Sheene's and Stirling at Brands Hatch.

Dear Baku,

Your venue is excellent.

I approve of this street circuit because it looks visually stunning and is fun for drivers.

+2

[AndyL]

With the cars of the 70s it was completely about driver skill, which we know Hamilton has in abundance. No matter what skill you're born with you can't account for all the switches in today's car. It's totally different to the 70s and really not comparable.

I agree it's not really a valid comparison. It's true that back in the day, when a driver lost 3rd gear or something, they just had to accept it and drive around the problem. But imagine if the team had got on the radio to Senna (or whoever) and said "the gearbox will magically fix itself if you do one simple thing, but we're not going to tell you what that is." It would have driven Ayrton just as mad as Lewis was on Sunday.

[AndyL]

Dear Baku,

Your venue is excellent.

I approve of this street circuit because it looks visually stunning and is fun for drivers.

+2

I think this is probably my favourite new circuit since... I don't know, Istanbul probably.

[The Black Knight]

I agree it's not really a valid comparison. It's true that back in the day, when a driver lost 3rd gear or something, they just had to accept it and drive around the problem. But imagine if the team had got on the radio to Senna (or whoever) and said "the gearbox will magically fix itself if you do one simple thing, but we're not going to tell you what that is." It would have driven Ayrton just as mad as Lewis was on Sunday.

Yeah it would have alright. It was a ridiculous situation. The issue is with this formula is that you can't have it both ways. You can't expect someone to evaluate a couple of hundred switch positions and race around an issue at the same time. It's a different skill sets required for each.

I think we have to leave go of history and stop wishing that the days of drivers magically driving around issues are gone. It can still happen, now and then, but figuring out a switch position isn't the same thing as that and doesn't contribute anything to the entertainment value of F1.

If people don't want to leave go then the rules have to be changed to make the less complicated and more about driving which, unfortunately, is something the 2017 rules don't do!

Either that or let the sport evolve naturally and stop meddling with it. And, most importantly, stop bitching about what we do have all the time. People love to complain.

[The Black Knight]

I think this is probably my favourite new circuit since... I don't know, Istanbul probably.

Really? I'd definitely say COTA is mine!

[Starter]

I think we have to leave go of history and stop wishing that the days of drivers magically driving around issues are gone. It can still happen, now and then, but figuring out a switch position isn't the same thing as that and doesn't contribute anything to the entertainment value of F1.
Why bother with drivers at all then? It used to be a contest between drivers, now it's a contest between tech guys back at the factory. Just drive the cars by wire and save all the salaries and egos involved with jellyware in the cockpit.

[AndyL]

Really? I'd definitely say COTA is mine!

That is one of the best for sure, but at the moment, Baku just edges it over COTA for me.

[Bagwan]

Yeah it would have alright. It was a ridiculous situation. The issue is with this formula is that you can't have it both ways. You can't expect someone to evaluate a couple of hundred switch positions and race around an issue at the same time. It's a different skill sets required for each.

I think we have to leave go of history and stop wishing that the days of drivers magically driving around issues are gone. It can still happen, now and then, but figuring out a switch position isn't the same thing as that and doesn't contribute anything to the entertainment value of F1.

If people don't want to leave go then the rules have to be changed to make the less complicated and more about driving which, unfortunately, is something the 2017 rules don't do!

Either that or let the sport evolve naturally and stop meddling with it. And, most importantly, stop bitching about what we do have all the time. People love to complain.

I think we should remember that the teams do know that they can't relate much info to the driver , and thus have designed things to be as simple as they can be .
They know he's busy .

It was a little easier for Nico to figure out , as he had changed a setting , saw a result , and quickly realized he should change it back .
For Lewis , it was different , as he had been in the mode from the start , being he had started farther back , so it wasn't , perhaps , as immediately obvious .

But the team gave him instruction to put his head down and figure it out , which he duly did , making it obvious that he knew he was in the wrong mode from the very start .

It was a short term panic , and an understandable one , given the limited number of laps left , with a rival getting away , and a team mate cruising .
It was a simple fix , which he figured out .


This seems to be just another way you can build a fast car that can lose you the race .




One thing I mentioned before , though , that I still don't understand , is why Lewis said "I didn't do anything . It just fixed itself ." after the race .

[henners88]

One thing I mentioned before , though , that I still don't understand , is why Lewis said "I didn't do anything . It just fixed itself ." after the race .
Only Lewis or the team can elaborate further on that.

It was mentioned that Rosberg had been stuck on this setting in the past so had previous experience of correcting it.

[Nitrodaze]

It was a little easier for Nico to figure out , as he had changed a setting , saw a result , and quickly realized he should change it back .
For Lewis , it was different , as he had been in the mode from the start , being he had started farther back , so it wasn't , perhaps , as immediately obvious .

But the team gave him instruction to put his head down and figure it out , which he duly did , making it obvious that he knew he was in the wrong mode from the very start .

It was a short term panic , and an understandable one , given the limited number of laps left , with a rival getting away , and a team mate cruising .
It was a simple fix , which he figured out .

If you watched the race on sky, you would have probably noticed the overhead shot of Hamilton trying to sort out the issue. I think his first attempt was to change the setting to position 6 but the car switched itself to setting 3 which did not solve the problem, then he attempted again to switch it back to position 6, then the car switched to another position on its own (possibly position one). Then Hamilton just gave up and left it. But the car subsequently changed to a position that solved the problem.

From seeing that, l wonder if exactly the same thing was going on in Rosberg's car. If so, l really wonder how he was able to sort it out with the overriding actions originating from the car. I think there was more going on there than meets the eye.

[Bagwan]

Only Lewis or the team can elaborate further on that.

It was mentioned that Rosberg had been stuck on this setting in the past so had previous experience of correcting it.

True . But strange , no ?

And , true , but there must have been some logic to it as he did figure it out .

[Bagwan]

If you watched the race on sky, you would have probably noticed the overhead shot of Hamilton trying to sort out the issue. I think his first attempt was to change the setting to position 6 but the car switched itself to setting 3 which did not solve the problem, then he attempted again to switch it back to position 6, then the car switched to another position on its own (possibly position one). Then Hamilton just gave up and left it. But the car subsequently changed to a position that solved the problem.

From seeing that, l wonder if exactly the same thing was going on in Rosberg's car. If so, l really wonder how he was able to sort it out with the overriding actions originating from the car. I think there was more going on there than meets the eye.

That's a whole lot more info .
Interesting that the car will change switches of it's own accord .
Where did you get that ?

[Nitrodaze]

That's a whole lot more info .
Interesting that the car will change switches of it's own accord .
Where did you get that ?
If you have sky, go watch the paddock session again. There was a bit on the sky pad where they looked at how Hamilton was trying to sort out the problem.

[Tazio]

Interesting that the car will change switches of it's own accord .

The only logical explanation is that The Boss' car has a nasty poltergeist!
He most likely picked it up in Barbados, as I stated in another thread!
Who you gonna' call?;)

[henners88]

True . But strange , no ?

And , true , but there must have been some logic to it as he did figure it out .
He figured it out or it corrected itself. I'm not that intrigued to be honest.