MazdaChris

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  • #331334
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    I just hope it turns out to be a positive for Formula E and not a negative. When a major player joins a motorsport category, it inevitably drives up costs as the other teams strive to keep up. If one team is dominant, it’ll be to the detriment of the sport as a whole. We want to see good competition – something we’ve had for a long time in WEC – not Mercedes style domination.

    I mean, when you look at it objectively, Mercedes joining F1 as a manufacturer has been very bad for the sport.

    #331328
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    Very sad news for a long time WEC/Le Mans fan like myself. It’s hard to put into words just what a huge impact Audi had on prototype racing, arguably bringing the level of tech and professionalism up to, and in some cases beyond, what we see in F1. They set the standard to which so many other teams now aspire. It absolutely won’t be the same without them, but it’ll also be interesting to see what kind of an effect they will have on Formula E. The expectation will be that they will hit the ground running and be successful out of the gates.

    I just hope that other manufacturers will be prepared to step in to fill the void, as Toyota did when Peugeot left. Without a clearly-standard-setting team in the WEC, the weight of those victories may be lessened, and the WEC may find itself in decline.

    Perhaps Audi will rejoin Le Mans in a few years and become the first team to win using all electric power…

    #321701
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    I agree. I would love to see a Porsche F1 team but to me they will always be a sportscar manufacturer, and Le Mans is the place for them. If anything I’d love to see Ferrari join the WEC as well, and Red Bull Racing. But this is a thread about other teams entering F1 so I would say:

    Prodrive Aston Martin

    Prodrive is such a great name in motorsport and I think having the Aston Martin brand in F1 would be a huge win for all concerned. Aston Martin have ties with brands like Tag Heure and Gulf, and the image of these companies seems to synergise perfectly with F1’s current brand image. What could be more evocative than an Aston Martin F1 car racing at Monaco? My only concern is that they have no real experience of this level and might struggle to put together all the pieces needed for a sucessful team

    Cosworth Ford Racing

    Ford’s last forray into F1 was a relatively disappoiting affair, even with the great Jackie Stewart at the helm. But things have changed since then, and a well funded tie-up between Ford and Cosworth would be a formidable outfit with true racing heritage in F1. The new Ford GT racing at Le Mans this year is certainly a big statement about Ford’s ambitions toward racing at the sharp end.

    Audi Sport Team Joest

    There are very few racing teams in the world currently who would be capable of racing at the very front in F1. Arguably, that number is lower than the number of teams currently competing in F1. But of all the racing teams in all the world, the one which seems most likely to be equal to the task is Audi Sport Team Joest. They have all the funding, expertise, and critically leadership in the shape of Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. It would also see the return of one of the oldest manufacturers in GP racing, harking back to the days when Auto Union and Daimler Benz fought tooth and nail for pre-war glory. Alas though, as with Porsche, F1’s gain would be WEC’s loss. As a sportscar fan to the core, that’s too bitter a pill for me to swallow

    Tesla
    One out of left field here, but this is surely the inevitable direction in which we are headed. How long will it be before we see the end of the internal combusion engine at the top level of motorsport? Ten years, twenty? The writing is on the wall. And as the oil age draws inexorably towards its terminus, the opportunity arises for new and interesting manufacturers to innovate and lead motorsport forwards into a new age. While some will inevitably lament the loss of the noise and the smells of petrol-powered propulsion, personally I’m excited to see what the true future of F1 looks like.

    #309860
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    If it’s quick, it’ll look good enough on track. I’m just glad, after all the problems the Volkswagen group has had this year, that we’re going to have any Audis running at all. Though with Porsche and Audi both scaling back to just two cars each, it’ll be interesting to see how they change up the intra-team tactics.

    Am I alone in feeling a bit frustrated that Audi keep naming their new cars ‘R18’?

    #309264
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    No, me neither. I’ve been using NowTV to get the rest of the races live, and it’s a painful expense, especially when it means I can only watch it live and not on catch-up if I miss it. But to pay for a whole season like that just isn’t realistic I’m afraid. It’s going to be hard to find a way to carry on being an F1 fan.

    #307252
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    Actually, I’d say that changes to decrease costs and improve ‘the show’ have only really been happening in the past decade or so. The changes from the mid nineties to the mid noughties were pretty much all centered around limiting performance and improving safety systems. The changes which have happened from around 2005 onwards were focused more on improving the show, since the races had pretty much all become very dull processions with virtually no overtaking. Though interestingly most championships in that era were very closely contested, due to the very close technical equivalence of all the cars, and the ‘freeze’ on development of the V8 engines.

    It’s also interesting that this drive to lower costs and improve the show, also coincided with the acquisition of majority control by CVC. Read into that what you will…

    #307093
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    Ironically, I think the biggest hurdle, at least in LMP1, would be finding a competitive power unit. All of the top teams are using powerful, in-house designed hybrid power units. A non-hybrid is not likely to be at all competitive.

    However, unlike in F1, there’s a bit more freedom to design, so it would be posible for them to buy an off-the-shelfe ICE and then develop their own hybrid system around it. But that is not the work of a moment and there isn’t any capacity at the moment within RBR to develop that kind of technology. It’s not insurmountable, but it would be a major obstacle. Not one that I think would be possible to overcome in time for next year.

    Engines aside, though, I feel like participation in WEC would be mutually beneficial. While WEC isn’t anywhere near as high-profile as F1, it allows far greater freedom for development and promotion. Red Bull would be able to have a far more visible presence at WEC events, and there would be almost unlimited scope for promotion outside of the races as well. A Red Bull LMP-1 car would surely be a beautiful thing to behold, and would be a technological tour-de-force that would get even the most casual race fan interested. And unlike with F1, they’d be able to get that car featured in all manner of computer games.

    I say mutually beneficial because I think there would be a genuinely positive effect on WEC itself as well. Two very well supported teams is a positive no matter what, but the publicity would surely help push WEC into a whole new level of visibility. Something I’m sure DM would be keen to take advantage of – it doesn’t take a genius to imagine the inaugural 6 hours of the Red Bull Ring…

    But, sadly, I think it’s very unlikely to happen. I say sadly, but personally I don’t want to see Red Bull disappear from F1 at all. RBR is a top team, as good as any currently competing, and I think they help brush off a little bit of the old man vibe F1 can carry about it at times. But if they do leave F1, and by some chance they did decide to participate in WEC, I personally would be peeing my pants with excitement!

    #303153
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    Apologies, must learn to read things properly!

    #303139
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    Surprised nobody has mentioned Robert Kubica’s massive crash in Canada 2007. Though obviously his rally crash that nearly took his arm off is worse in terms of consequence.

    #300814
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    I think he rightfully deserves a seat in a top team. I thought that before he ever squeezed himself into a Le Mans prototype. There’s a curious thing within F1 where, even though everyone in F1 knows and understands that success is absolutely dependent on the car, a driver who has not won races through several years in F1 is soon considered to be yesterday’s man. Even when he’s never been in a car capable of getting at the sharp end.

    I think F1 teams are always looking for the next big thing. Drivers like Verstappen are self-perpetuating hype machines while their careers are on an upward trajectory. Even established winners are vulnerable to getting the boot in favour of a driver who seems destined for success. Not to say of course that Verstappen doesn’t deserve the hype surrounding him at the moment, but drivers whose careers have plateaued shouldn’t be overlooked in this way.

    To be honest, if nobody at the front is willing to give Hulkenberg a drive next year, and Porsche come to him offering a full time WEC drive, I think he should grab it with both hands and not look back. It’ll be F1’s loss, but he needs to think about what an opportunity that would be – Porsche have the backing, and the inclination, to be able to win championship after championship. Who knows, perhaps in another ten years’ time we might think of him alongside such legends as Tom Kristensen. That’s the opportunity he’d have, and I don’t see him ever getting anything like that where he is at the moment.

    #300186
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    I’ve never seen it as busy as it was this year. Not just in terms of peak numbers at the track, but the sheer volume of people that were there constantly. It’s a shame that Friday was a bit of a washout – I went to Saint Saturnin for the car show but it was absolutely rammed and then the skies opened.

    We were stuck on the motorway for over two hours on Saturday waiting to get to the circuit – again I’ve never seen it as busy as this.

    Anyway, glad you had a good time. I’m already planning next year’s trip!

    #299156
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    We don’t stay at the track either. Much as I love motorsport, I also love my sleep, and you don’t get a whole lot of that at the circuit. We stay at a beautiful campsite about 10km from the track, and they have lots of entertainment there in the week before the race. Once, the Michellin team were staying there and they put on a load of entertainment with a brass band and a couple of classic omnibusses, it was ace.

    You’ll have a brilliant time, and I bet you’ll want to go back for longer next time!

    #299097
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    You’re in for an absolute treat. Loads to do, mostly centered around the main pit/paddock area. Behind the paddock is the le Mans Village area with all sorts of stuff for fans to do. The museum is there too, and is well worth checking out. You can get busses all around the track to the various viewing areas around Arnage, Mulsanne, etc etc. I’m not sure whether you have to pay for them – we’ve always just taken the car. It only takes a short while to get around but it’s a bit of a maze so work out the routes first, or see if an accomodating person can show you. It’s too big to realistically walk, unless you really fancy hiking miles.

    There’s loads that’ll be going on all week – how long are you there for? Take some time out on Friday to check out the British Welcome – a car show at Saint Saturnin. This year it’s featuring MG, but there are always loads of supercars on show, from just about every marque you can think of. Apparently there’s also a big of a show/congregation this year on Mulsanne corner on the Friday which is another car show.

    If you’re there for the week leading up to it, check out the scrutineering events at the Place De la Republique in Le Mans centre – just a short tram ride away. Le Mans also has a beautiful gothic cathedral which you can visit while you’re there, if that’s your sort of thing.

    Are you staying at the track?

    #298611
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    I’d question how much influence the drivers really have these days anyway. Just about every facet of how a car performs is meticulously captured via data logging, and then fed back to engineers who know far more about the car than any driver could hope to be. I’m not sure how useful the driver feedback is other than as a means of corellating the data that they’re seeing on screen. if you think about how fuzzy the feedback is when we hear it – initial understeer on turn-in, rear end feels loose on the faster corners, etc etc. The drivers themselves are surely not being relied upon for choosing the development path. Perhaps tweaks to suit their own personal style, but generally speaking the car will be designed by the engineers and the drivers just need to get on with it.

    #297898
    MazdaChris
    Participant

    Easy to forget about Juan-Pablo Montoya.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 284 total)