Formula 1 discussion

I was thinking that when I saw the footage of the crash...for a double yellow condition plus the fact it was already raining and I think (not sure) the SC was already out, he seemed to go off awful fast. Mojo for Jules but it does seem like a freak accident, those things are going to happen when you drive F1 cars. I agree with the doctor that is is remarkable that he is still alive given that crash.
 
Latest news is that Bianchi suffered a diffuse axonal injury, which isn't very good news. Pretty low recovery rate from this kind of thing, especially when it is severe. Hopefully he is in the minority that recover from this type of injury. Really sad news. :cry:

EDIT: Of course, just speculation on my part. I have no idea the severity of his injuries, just basing my comment on general knowledge of this type of injury and nothing specific to Bianchi. As I said above, I hope he recovers from this incident.
 
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Yeah I saw that too...mojo for Bianchi. I had hoped for good things from him after he managed that 9th with a clearly inferiour car
 
Latest rumor is that Lewis Hamilton might be heading back to McLaren. :messedup: Seems kind of hard to believe.

http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/lewis-hamilton-will-return-to-mclaren-according-to-lat-1643787645/ travis

And, it seems it isn't the case.

McLaren, though, have rejected the claims, with a spokesperson telling Pitpass.com: "This report is utterly without foundation, which is hardly surprising given the ultra-unreliable website on which it has appeared [F1Today.net]. As Ron Dennis said in Suzuka, McLaren has finalised no contracts with any drivers for 2015."
 
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Tiltsta said:
Latest rumor is that Lewis Hamilton might be heading back to McLaren. :messedup: Seems kind of hard to believe.

http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/lewis-hamilton-will-return-to-mclaren-according-to-lat-1643787645/ travis
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Can't see that being likely. Mercedes have had the best car by miles this year and suspect they will have it next year as well. McLaren haven't produced what could be called the best car on the grid for years now whatever engine they've had in the back of it and don't see that changing unless they lure Adrian Newey back to them.
 
Silly season is in full swing.

Hamilton to McLaren isn't too far fetched given the tensions between him and Rosberg. Toto Wolfe really favors Rosberg, and the only person at Mercedes openly backing Hamilton is Niki Lauda. Perhaps Alonso will land at Mercedes next year with Hamilton going back to McLaren.
 
OGG said:
I'm just wondering who is going to drive the second Marussia this weekend.
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My guess would be Rossi. Of course, they may just run one car as a show of respect. There are already pictures online of Bianchi's name on a sign over the pit box/garage at the Sochi track. Maybe they will use Rossi and keep the sign up as a respect thing. I think the rules require a team to field two cars, but in a situation like this the FIA might allow them to run one. If they have a chassis, they will probably run two cars, as this is their 'home' race.

If they wanted to make a ton of local sponsor cash (which they probably need), bringing back Petrov might be an option for Sochi. He is in DTM these days, but there isn't a race this weekend.
 
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Williams are suggesting F1 look at enclosed cockpits according to this article on the BBC. Thinking about it, besides the safety benefits, surely this would present a huge opportunity to the aero guys to streamline the area around the driver making the cars even faster. It would also allow the teams to look at transparent materials more and potentially improve the driver's field of view if done right. Thoughts?
 
Gorgon90 said:
Williams are suggesting F1 look at enclosed cockpits according to this article on the BBC. Thinking about it, besides the safety benefits, surely this would present a huge opportunity to the aero guys to streamline the area around the driver making the cars even faster. It would also allow the teams to look at transparent materials more and potentially improve the driver's field of view if done right. Thoughts?
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I remember they talked about this after Massa got hit in the head, and they had discussed it before as well (related to tires hitting drivers). I think the main concern is that the sealed cockpit makes it more difficult for the driver to exit the car in an emergency (like a fire) and the materials available provided limited protection. The risk of fire and the need to rapidly exit a car were far greater than the much rarer cockpit debris impact. After the Massa accident they decided to strengthen the visor materials on the helmets, and they already were using wheel arrestor cables, so they FIA decided the benefit would be minimal. In the accident of Bianchi it isn't clear if a canopy would have done anything, as it seems his injury might be a deceleration injury rather than a direct impact. I like the idea of a closed canopy for the aero benefits, but I doubt it will happen anytime soon. FWIW, the FIA also looked into roll bar structures in front of the cockpit but decided they were ugly and it made more sense to seat the driver lower in the car.
 
In the accident of Bianchi it isn't clear if a canopy would have done anything, as it seems his injury might be a deceleration injury rather than a direct impact.
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I would agree. Those cars are not designed to collide with cranes an high speed...few cars are. Sadly this was an unfortunate accident and not really something you could have anticipated
 
OGG said:
He's on the roster, but Marussia says they haven't yet decided to run both cars. Will make an announcement tomorrow.
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And it turns out the team will only run one car. The set up Bianchi's car in his garage spot, but it will not race.
 
Mercedes takes the WCC with a 1-2 finish. That was impressive the way Rosberg drove nearly the whole race on one set of tires, and he was passing cars right and left while doing. That W05 is such a dominant car.

Williams looked very impressive this weekend. They look like the only team that might take the fight to Mercedes, and Bottas is a great driver nearly putting it on pole on Saturday.

Alonso's comments about where he will be next year are telling. After being asked if the car he's in next year will have a Mercedes PU, he said no. It's looking like he will be at McLaren Honda next year.
 
Brilliant race. Once again COTA produced some very exciting wheel to wheel action. I don't know if it's the track itself, or the fact that they are in the US, but the drivers always seem to really step it up for the USGP. I really missed being at the race this year, but I am planning to go again next year. Hopefully they do something about the sound of the cars.
 
It was a good race. The cars just don't sound like race cars. The Carrera GT that passed me while I was out riding yesterday made more noise that the entire starting grid :P
 
hamilton-2014-wdc.jpg
 
No surprises there. If that double points madness cost Hamilton the championship it would have been an outrage.
 
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